


Scattered Pieces | James Sirius Potter

by Slightly_Obsessive



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Explicit Language, F/M, Fantasy, Hogwarts, Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-15 01:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 44,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11795184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slightly_Obsessive/pseuds/Slightly_Obsessive
Summary: “As if I would ever believe that your intentions were anything close to noble. You’re only here to keep your reputation in check. Stop trying to be like your father because, despite what you just saw, I’m not the monster, James.” She took a couple of strides towards him, so that there was barely an inch between them, and glared up into his eyes. “You are.”~~~Ever since she started Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, all Emilia Longbottom wanted was to be loved and respected by those around her. And after years of dealing with mortification, misery and medication, she's wants out.Desperate, Emilia seizes her chance to make something of herself by entering one of the most dangerous competitions in the wizarding world; The Triwizard Tournament. She can only expect blood, sweat and tears as well as hard work to achieve eternal glory.And although she's prepared to go through hell to win, it seems it's the world outside the tounament that will truely test her.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I begun writing this when I was fourteen, and finished it only a few months ago. It is currently going through a very heavy editing process, so I thought I would start to upload it on here when I can finally be mildly happy with the way it is written.  
> As I begun to write it long before 'The Cursed Child' was released, I shall be writing it and continuing with the sequel in this version of reality.  
> I hope you enjoy this remastered version.

Halloween; one of the busiest nights of the year at St Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. The corridors were filled with wobbling witches, who had been found stumbling down the muggle streets of London, wavering wizards, chanting song lyrics at the top of their lungs, and the doctors who were desperately trying to keep their heads amongst the cacophony of magical drunkards.

            But not far from this rabble, up one flight of stairs and through a set of double doors was a much quieter ward; the maternity wing. And inside one of the rooms sat Neville Longbottom on the edge of a hospital bed, on which lay his wife, Hannah, who was cradling their new-born daughter gently in her arms. Traces of tears still marked Hannah’s cheeks, and her husband seemed to be holding back tears of his own. If only his Gran were still alive, if only his parents were well enough, to see his beautiful daughter; how proud would they have been? He had grown from what seemed like a hopeless child into a man anyone would be honoured to know.

            “I was so afraid…” Hannah murmured, trailing off into fresh tears.

            “I know,” Neville sighed, stroking her hair and touching the baby’s cheek. But Hannah seemed to want to get it out.

            “I was so afraid that they would tell us she wasn’t going to make it.”

            “It’s nothing that serious,” Neville chuckled softly.

            “Then what is it?” she asked, straightening up.

            “I think we’re both a little shaken up right now. The doctors said they’ll give me a file, so we can look over it tomorrow.”

            Hannah nodded, pulling their daughter closer to her chest. “Our little Emilia Alice,” she smiled, tearfully.

            “Alice?”

            “Yeah, I reckon your mother’s name should be in there somewhere. Or would you prefer Alice first?”

            “No, no. Emilia Alice is beautiful, just like her.”

            Just after Emilia had been born, early afternoon that day, the midwives had noticed something unusual about the demeanour of the child; she would not stop crying. They gave her an extremely mild dose of sleeping draft and took a couple of blood samples as a precaution, all the while Hannah and Neville held onto her, praying that everything would be okay.

            When the doctors had returned with the report, neither of them had really been able to take it in. All they wanted to know was if their baby was alright. After hearing that she was just fine, completely healthy, they didn’t hear much else. The three of them returned home in the early hours of November 1st, and all was well.

            Hannah felt pregnant again that December, and gave birth to a boy, six week premature, the following August. Neville had tried to keep the tension low by pointing out that their children would bother be in the same year when they started Hogwarts, but given what had happened to Emilia, his wife was still worried for their son’s health. He was small, but strong, and looked a lot like his sister.

            The boy was named William Frank, and he and his sister grew into quiet toddlers, then to curious children. Their parents decided that it would be best to have them be home-school in both magical and muggle studies. They both showed good magical potential from an early age, and were taught to be accepting and appreciative of everyone and everything around them.

            At around seven years old, Will became more social, instantly popular with the children of family friends for his caring and calm disposition. And his best friend was James Sirius Potter, the eldest son of Harry and Ginny Potter, from whom he was almost inseparable.     

            Emilia grew to be a talented young lady, finding a love of music at an early age, though never pursued anything further than the little show that she would put on the stuffed toys in her bedroom. She wasn’t nearly as outgoing as her younger brother, and didn’t really have any friends aside from him, often hiding behind her parents and shying away whenever someone she didn’t know tried to speak to her.

            As expected, they received their acceptance letters for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during the Summer before they were to begin their first year. Emilia had read over the list of required equipment many times, and often wished that time would go faster, that she could hop aboard the Hogwarts Express and start school the next day. Little did she know that her future wasn’t all just fun and games, the way the magical world had been up until that point. What this naïve eleven-year-old didn’t know was that you must be very careful what you wish for.

 


	2. Close Encounters of the Worst Kind

"Come on you two, or we'll all be late," Hannah called up the stairs to her children. Emilia and Will heaved their suitcases out into the landing. “And exactly how long are you planning on staying?” their mother smiled, pulling out her wand and levitated the cases safely down the stairs.

            "Right, into the car," said Neville. Floo Powder had been getting more and more expensive since Ministry fell in 1998, and the economy was still recovering. A car was becoming a more commonly used mode of transport for wizards, as the fuel was so easy to brew at home.

            Emilia plugged in her headphones and stared out of the window as the car pulled out of the driveway. Turning up the music, she fiddled with her hair and chewed the inside of her lower lip.

            They were going to stay with the Potters for a week, whilst their parents supervised the beginnings of the refurbishment on the Leaky Cauldron; Hannah was planning on quitting her job to train as a doctor and wanted everything to be perfect for the new landlord or landlady. Harry and Ginny Potter had been happy to watch over them, and Emilia’s mother had said that it would be a good opportunity for her to make some friends before she started school.

            Emilia wasn’t so optimistic. It was okay for Will; he had been best friends with the Potter’s eldest son, James, for at least three of four years now. She, however, had resorted to hiding in her room or clinging to her mother’s leg. Will had tried to introduce her to James, Fred Weasley, and the other Weasley children whenever they visited, but no matter how many times he had told her that they didn’t bite, Emilia just forced a polite smile and stuck her nose back into her book. The lives of fictional characters were so exciting, she couldn’t imagine any person would have anything quite as interesting to say.

            The Potters had a gravelled driveway; the scraping of stones under the tires waking Emilia from her light doze. When the car stopped, she pulled out her headphones and wrapped them around her muggle music player.

            "You look nervous," Will said, looking at her sideways.

            "What if they don't like me; I don’t know if I can go a week with only _you_ to talk to,” she grimaced, only half joking.

            "And wouldn’t that be a tragedy!" Will laughed, perhaps trying to make her feel better. “James is a little bit loud, but I think you’ll like Albus. Just give them a chance. You want to have some friends, don’t you?”

            “I suppose so.” Emilia opened the door and got out of the car. Her father had already dragged their cases to the door. Nibbling at her thumbnail, she swallowed hard and tried to calm her heartbeat.

            Before they reached the front door, it opened to reveal a woman. Ginny Potter smiled that them. “I’m glad you got here safely. I don’t really trust those muggle cars, not after what happened to Dad’s.” She embraced their mother and father, and stepped back. “Please, come in.”

            “I’m sorry, but we can’t stay for long. The decorators will be arriving at the inn soon,” Hannah sighed. “We’re in for a stressful week.”

            “I can’t remember the last time I saw you.” Harry walked into the hallway, looking down at Emilia. “It must have been Christmas a couple of years ago.” Emilia waved shyly, and smiled. Harry winked at her and turned to Will. “James is up in his room.” Her brother disappeared, leaving her with no one to hide behind. She stood awkwardly beside her father whilst her parents spoke to the Potters about the refurbishments and how Emilia, Will, and James would be starting at Hogwarts next month. 

            "Now, you and your brother have got to be on your best behaviour, do you understand?” Neville ruffled his daughter’s hair. Emilia raise an eyebrow at him. “Alright, I know you’re good. Just make sure your brother doesn’t do anything silly.”

            "I'll do my best," she said, smiling innocently.

            “I’m sure you will. We’ll be leaving now. Don’t worry, Harry and Ginny are going to take good care of you.” Emilia’s mother knew her too well. After kisses goodbye, Emilia watched until her parents’ car disappeared at the end of the driveway.

            “Would you like to see your room?” Harry waved his wand, just has her mother had, made their bags float up the stair, him staying close behind.

            “Yes, thank you.” Emilia followed Harry up the staircase, along the landing and into a room at the end of the hallway. It was bright and airy, had a double bed with blue sheets and white furniture. “This is lovely, thank you.”

            “You’re very welcome. Listen, Ginny and I are just popping out for a bit to get some food. If you need anything, you can ask Albus. He’s downstairs in the living room. We won’t be long.”

            Emilia nodded and opened up her bag. She began to hang her clothes up in the wardrobe and placed her other belongings on the chest of draws. Once she’d finished, she sat down on the bed and decided to continue the book she’d been reading.

            She didn’t know how much time passed before the door to her room creaked open. Her heart gave a little squeeze; no one walked in. Only when a small splash of coloured movement caught her eye did Emilia look up from her book. From behind the half-open door peeped a rag doll, not half a metre tall.

            Emilia gulped, having never been very fond of dolls. And, even though she had seen such magic, she was certainly not fond of things that moved when they shouldn’t. Putting her book down on the bedside table, Emilia slid off the bed and walked tentatively towards the door. The doll moved its head from side to side, in a manner that made Emilia wish had some sort of weapon or a wand, anything to protect her from any sudden movements.

            The doll flew at her.

            Letting out an ear-splitting scream, Emilia threw up her arms to stop the doll from hitting her face. The doll dropped to the floor and was still for a moment until, to her horror, it began to get up, turning to face her. Not noticing the other toys that were marching themselves into her bedroom, Emilia kicked the doll as hard as she could, screaming again as the army approached her.

            Her entire body shook, and tears began to involuntarily fall from her eyes. Cursing herself for being such a baby, she scrambled under the bed, curling up to contain her sobs. Emilia hoped that once she opened her eyes, the horror film would be over.

            The thuds on the ground seemed to move closer and closer. She gripped herself tighter and tighter. There was yelling coming from somewhere, hard to distinguish over the pounding of her own heartbeat.

            Something touched her arm, and she screamed again.

            “It’s alright, it’s alright,” came a voice. Emilia fell silent, opening her eyes towards the sound. A boy was lying on the floor next to her bed, his hand reaching out to her. “They’ve gone now, you can come out.”

            Emilia shifted out from under the bed, standing up shakily and brushing the dust off of her clothes. The boy stood in front of her was almost at her height, looked around ten years old and distinctly like his father, right down to the green of his irises. “Albus?”

            “Are you alright?”

            “Yes, I’m just a little shaken.” She tried to smile, wiping her tear-stained cheeks. “What was that?”

            “James thinks he’s being funny. He doesn’t know when to stop sometimes.”

            “Your brother did this?”

            “I said it wasn’t supposed to turn out like that. It was supposed to be a joke, to make you laugh.” Another boy entered to room, followed by Will. He was taller and leaner than his younger brother, with long, messy, black hair. He too looked a lot like his father, but bore the soft brown, Weasley eyes.

            “Just leave her alone, James.” Albus spat. “Emilia, do you want a drink or something?”

            “That would be nice, thank you.” She followed Albus out of the room, shooting a quick look at Will as she passed him. She couldn’t believe he had just gone along with something like this. He was her only friend, and he knew her. He knew she didn’t like things like this.

            “He goes along with pretty much everything James does,” Albus gave her a sad smile, seeming to have read her mind.

            “Really?”

            “Yeah. I try to avoid him. He can talk his way out of everything.”

            At dinner, Emilia sat in between Albus and Lily, a quiet girl who looked a lot like her mother. She didn’t look at or speak to her brother or James, who sat across from her at the table. She could feel someone stealing glances her, but when she looked up, she didn’t catch anyone.

            Wanting to believe that James wouldn’t deliberately try to hurt her, and that Will wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her on purpose, she decided to let the incident with the dolls slide. But there was still something about James that kept her on edge; with the quiet life Emilia was used to, his lively nature could only cause her trouble.


	3. Diagon Alley

Emilia tried her best to enjoy her week with the Potters. She took Albus’ advice and stayed away from James and her brother. Instead, she spent most of her time talking to Albus about Hogwarts and what it was going to be like when she got there, about books she was reading, and about muggle things that they both loved.

            Lily persuaded Emilia to help bake down in the kitchen with her and Ginny, something she’d never really tried but found she was quite good at. She hadn’t really been exposed to anything that would have been considered ‘girly’, but on a few evenings, she sat on the floor and let Lily plait her long hair from up on the sofa. Lily would ask her to paint her nails and Emilia was surprised at what she had been missing on.

            She was sad to leave at the end of the week; she wondered why she hadn’t come more often in the past. Promising Albus she would visit him and ‘save him from James’ insanity’, she waved goodbye from the car as they drove away.

*

There was only a couple of weeks left until Emilia and Will started Hogwarts and they still hadn’t bought any of the supplies on the long list that had come with their acceptance letters.

            “Emilia, get out of bed,” her mother sighed, late the next Monday morning. “We’re going out to Diagon Alley after lunch.

            Begrudgingly, Emilia dragged herself out of bed and downstairs to make herself a sandwich. “You’re not eating?” she asked her brother, who was staring at his full plate.

            He swallowed hard. “We’re using the Floo network to get to Diagon Alley.”

            “It’s just easier, especially when we’ll have lots to carry. It’s not too expensive, as long as we don’t use it too often.” Neville said. “You can eat later if you like.” Will nodded and covered his sandwich with some kitchen roll.

            When everyone was ready, the four of them gathered around the fireplace in the living room. Neville went first, and Will, although extremely reluctant, followed him.

            Emilia took a handful of Floo Powder, stepped into the fireplace, and waited for her mother to give her an encouraging nod. “Diagon Alley,” she articulated and threw the Powder at her feel. She was expecting a blazing heat as the green flames engulfed her, but instead, her head began to spin. The living room became a blur of colour, going from bright to dark as her body was flung through space. Trying to concentrate on anything in particular made her feel sick, so Emilia closed her eyes until she came to an abrupt halt.

            “You made it! Well done.” Peering through her eyelashes, she saw her father, smiling and hold out a hand for her. Will stood behind him looking incredibly pale.

            “Only just,” she laughed. “But I certainly feel a lot better than he looks.”

            “So, Flourish and Blotts first?” Hannah appeared behind them.

            “Sure.”

            “James reckons you’ve got it in for him.” Will made Emilia jumps slightly, as she was pulling the books she needed from the shelves in the bookshop. 

            “Really? I don’t think I even spoke to him.”

            “Yeah, that’s probably why. He doesn’t think you like him.”

            “Can you blame me? He scared me half to death.”

            “I know, but he didn’t _mean_ to.”

            “Alright,” she finally turned to look at her brother. “Maybe I judged him too fast.”

            “I actually think you two would get along really well, if you just give him a chance.”

            Emilia nodded. “Here,” she said, handing half of the books to Will. “I’m not carrying all of these.”

            Their mother payed for the books when Neville returned from Gringotts. Walking out into alley, the four of them were pulled down the street like particles in a liquid, people flowing all around them. In the run up to school, Diagon Alley was far busier than usual.

            “Alright, both of you can go and choose a pet each,” their father said, once they had gotten out of the crowds.

            The Owl Emporium had a warm, animal smell about it. Emilia’s ears were filled with the high-pitched screeches and fluffing of feathers. An owl was perfect; it was practical and elegant. She strolled along the shelved walls, staring upwards at her many choices. A beautiful eagle owl, with huge, orange eyes and a sharp, black beak, caught her eye. Reaching up to the cage, the bird hopped down from its perch and poked at the bars with its beak. This was the one.

            The cage was too high for her to bring down safely alone, so she looked over to her brother, who was at the other end of the shop, paying for a small, barn owl. Not wanting to risk losing the eagle owl, and too shy to ask for anybody’s help, she stood beside the shelf, fiddling with her fingers. It only took a few moments for Emilia to give in and reach up to get the cage down herself. Standing on her tip-toes and stretching her arms as high as she could, she was able to bring the cage off the shelf ever so slightly. But now it was directing about her head. She could very easily drop it.

            “Do you need a hand there?” someone behind her chuckled.

            A little relieved, she turned to see a boy, a few inches taller than she was, with messy black hair and an amused smirk. “James,” she mumbled. “Erm…yes, please.”

            James reached up and fetched the cage, handing it to her. She took the hook on top and smiled, shyly, up at him. His height was a little intimidating, and Emilia couldn’t quite shake the memory of the dolls from her mind. “Thank you.”

            “No problem.” As he turned to leave, he stopped. “Emilia, I really _am_ sorry about what happened last week. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

            She nodded. “It’s okay.”

            “So, no hard feelings?”

            “No.”

            “Great,” he smiled widely. “Well, I guess, I’ll see you at school.”

            “Yeah…school.” A small bundle of nerves settled in the pit of her stomach as the Potter boy skipped away, scanning the shelved for an owl of his own.

            “Is that the one that you want?” Her father appeared beside her, taking her out of her thoughts.

            “Yes.”

            “I’ll get it for you. Your mother and Will are shopping for school supplies for the both of you. Why don’t you head down to Ollivander’s, and I’ll meet you there?”

            The wand was the last thing on her list, and it was what Emilia had been most looking forward to buying. For the small girl, pushing through the flurry of witches and wizards proved a challenged. Emilia needed to catch her breath a little before entering the wand shop. There was a girl and her mother already in the shop, but seemed to be finishing off with the shopkeeper. The two had the same golden blonde hair, long and wavy. But when they turned around, she saw the woman’s face was tired and a little pitiful, whereas the girl’s was bright, pale and clear. She spotted Emilia and gave her a small smile, and both left the shop.

            Ollivander looked very old and frail as he bent of the counter, looking at her expectantly. “And what might your name be, young lady?”

            Before she could say, her father came into the shop with the owl and a couple of packages. “Hello, Mr Ollivander.”

            “Neville Longbottom, this must be your daughter.”

            “Emilia, sir,” she said.

            Mr Ollivander proceeded to take a lot of measurements and then had a good, long look at her. Just when Emilia was beginning to feel uncomfortable, the old wandmaker cocked his head to one side and gave her a curious half-smile.

            “I think I know exactly what you need.” He went into the back of the shop, and there was a great deal of shuffling and muttering before he came out again. “This wand contains a dragon heartstring, a Hebridean Black to be precise. Something about you tells me that you’ll be needing it.”

            Emilia gasped slightly, turning to look at her father. He smiled, gesturing for her to move forward.

            “Cherry wood, thirteen and three-quarter inches. Unyielding. A very powerful combination, Cherry-Dragon.”

            She took the wand in her left hand, not daring to point it at anything. A warm feeling seemed to bleed from her wand into her skin. It crept along her arm and didn’t stop until it filled her entire body. She frowned at Mr Ollivander. “How did you know it would be this one?”

            “Ollivander is a very clever man, Emilia. He’s been studying wand law for many years.”

            “There are not many who can handle the power of this combination. I trust that you will learn to control it, and use it well.”

            “I will, sir,” she smiled. However, Ollivander’s words scared Emilia a little. If she couldn’t perform well in school, her magic could have disastrous consequences. But the wand had chosen her, and that gave her hope.

* 

The eagle owl had taken quite well to Emilia. She decided to name him Ender, after one of the her smartest, most beloved fictional characters. Emilia soon got him to eat treats out of her hand, and had sent Albus a couple of letters just to get Ender out and about, and with great success.

            Her wand never left its box. She admired its deep red-brown colour, but with all this talk for power and control, she dared not take it out and practice even the simplest of spells, fearing the damage she might do. She preferred to wait for a safe, classroom environment to see what this want could do.

            Instead, she poured over her new textbooks, particularly those for Defence Against the Dark Arts and Charms. Having never actually been to school before, she wanted no disadvantage against the other students. She wanted to get ahead if possible, and maybe just have that edge that pushed her forwards.

            The night before September the first, Emilia lay awake in her bed. She stared across the dark room at her packed trunk. She’d never stayed away from her parents before, and wondered if she would miss them. Of course, she would see her father every day, but the thought of not seeing her mother was saddening.

            She thought about what friends she might have, if she was able to make any at all. Her parents had told her to be herself, but she worried that people might not like that. She thought back to the girl at Ollivander’s and wondered if she could be friends with her. Tagging along with Will might make her seem like a burden. But he probably wouldn’t mind. After all, apart from Albus, he was her only friend.


	4. The Adventure Begins

Emilia was surprised when she woke up to the sun slipping through the curtains; she didn’t think she’d be able to fall asleep with everything that had been on her mind the night before. Afraid that if she lay for too long all the worries would come flooding back, she got up. Dressing in comfortable clothes, she heaved her trunk down the stairs to the hallway.

            “Who’s that? Emilia, are you up?” her mother called from the kitchen. “Do you want some breakfast.”

            “Actually, could you pack something up for the train. I don’t think I can stomach food right now.” She forced a laugh.

            Hannah hurried over to her daughter, taking her by the shoulders. “I was nervous when I first went to Hogwarts, and so was your father. Hell, he even lost his toad on the first day! And when I look back, the memories I made at Hogwarts are some of the greatest I have. Now, you choose what you want for lunch whilst I go and wake your brother.”

            By 9:30, the suitcases had been packed into the car, and the three of them were on their way to Kings Cross Station. Their father had left earlier that week to prepare for the new term. Will seemed a lot less shaken up than Emilia was about starting school; after all, he had James with him.

            The train station was packed. Muggles, both running and strolling, bustled about the shops and cued for tickets. They checked their watches and looked up at the flashing screens, paying no notice to the families that would pass them every few moments, pushing trolleys laden with oversized trunks and unusual animals. The Longbottoms made their way to Platforms Nine and Ten without receiving so much as a sideways glance from anyone.

            “Are you ready?” Hannah asked.

            Instead of answering, the two of them took deep breaths and ran towards the wall. Emilia couldn’t keep her eyes open, a small part of her fearing that she and the trolley would collide with the barrier.

            “Careful!” she heard her brother yell.

            Opening her eyes, Emilia apologised for hitting Will with her trolley, but was soon distracted by the magnificent, red steam engine standing majestically next to the packed platform. “I can’t believe it, we’re actually going.”

            “Hey, look! There’s James.”

            Harry seemed to have spotted them and waved as they walked over with their mother. “Hi, Hannah. How are you holding up?”

            “You know, it’s going to be hard, but you’ve just got to let them go.”

            “I’m so jealous,” Albus whined, coming out from behind his father. “Why can’t I go this year?”

            “You’d better get on the train before all of the compartments fill up,” Hannah, though teary-eyed placed a hand on each of her children’s backs and gave them a gentle push.

            “I’ll miss you, Mum.” Emilia turn around and hugged her mother.

            “I’ll miss you too sweetheart. Make sure you behave; your father will be letting me know how you’re getting on. That goes for you too Will.” She pulled her son into a reluctant hug.

            “I know. Hey, Emilia, do you mind if James sits in a compartment with us?”

            “No, that’s fine.”

            Heaving their luggage onto the train, Hannah backed away into the sea of parents bidding farewell to their children. Emilia hopped onto the train, climbed over her trunk, and began hauling it down the corridor to the luggage holder at the end of the car.

            “We’ve got a compartment a few doors down,” a red-faced Will strained, followed closely by James.

            Emilia sat down by the window, getting her book out of her smaller bag. She spotted her mother through the window as the guard whistle sounded. Albus waved madly at her, jogging to keep up with the window as the train pulled away. She tried blinking back the surfacing tears, and waved back until the platform was out of sight.

            There was a screech from the corridor. Emilia got up and popped her head around the door. “Is everything okay?”

            “Yep.” Will’s voice was still strained. “James just killed his owl, that’s all.”

            “No, I didn’t!” James protested, holding up a cage with a rather flustered looking owl inside. “See, she’s fine.”

            “What’s her name?” Emilia asked when they had all sat down in the compartment.

            “Moran.” James looked fondly at the bird, stoking her feathers until she was calm.

            “As in the Quidditch player?”

            “You like Quidditch?”

            “Like is an understatement,” Will chipped in. “She loves it, pretty sure she’s been following it since she was born.”

            “Thanks, Will,” Emilia groaned.

            “Me too! I can’t wait to try out for the team next year!”

            “Hold up, James. Let’s just try get you through this year without getting expelled.” Will raised an eyebrow.

            “I’d like to try out too, though I’ve never had the chance to practice with anyone good.”

            “Hey!”

            “You could play with Fred and I sometime. Actually, where is Fred? I was supposed to meet him on the platform.”

            The conversation soon turned to the inevitable topic of Hogwarts houses. Given that the housing system would decide who she would spend most of our time with, it seemed like such a huge choice, and she wouldn’t even be able to make it herself.

            “I’m pretty sure I know where I’m going. The entire Potter-Weasley line has been in Gryffindor, so I’m not too worried.”

            “Did someone say Weasley?” A head appeared in the doorway.

            “Hey Fred, come in. You’ve met Will, and this is his sister Emilia.”

            “It’s nice to meet you.” He sat down next to her. “So, what are we talking about?”

            Even though had seen him a couple of times before, Emilia couldn’t quite believe that Fred was a Weasley. He had a darker complexion and thick, black locks. But as soon as she saw the grin on his face, the mischievous glint in his eye, she knew he had Weasley blood in him.

            “We were just discussing what houses we think we might end up in,” James said.

            “Oh, well Gryffindor for me, no questions asked. What about you, Emilia?”

            “I don’t know. I think I’ll be in Hufflepuff, like Mum; that would be good. But I’d like to be in Ravenclaw, if I’m smart enough.” Emilia fiddled with the pages of her book.

            Will smiled. “I’m sure whichever house you’re accepted into, you’ll be brilliant. You always have been.”

            “Thanks, Will. What house do you want to be in?”

            “Oh, I don’t know. I don’t reckon I’ll make it to Gryffindor, though it would be nice to be with someone I know.”

            “I don’t know if it’s true, but I once heard my dad talking about how you can speak to the hat. I guess you could always try and ask it put you where you want,” James said.

            “You really think you can do that?” Emilia looked hopeful.

            “Like I said, I don’t really know.”

 

*

 

Emilia’s eyes flickered open as the train ground to a halt at Hogsmead Station. The sky had darkened to a deep navy, dotted with stars. Lifting her head from the window, she wiped the drool from her chin on the sleeve of her robe.

            “Good, you’re awake. The prefects came around to tell us to leave our bags and pets on the train.” Will laughed at her zoned-out state. “You coming?”

            Pulling on her brother’s arm to hoist herself up from the seat, she followed him out of the compartment. “Where are James and Fred?”

            “They ran off as soon as we started slowing down. They’ll probably be halfway up to the castle by now.”

            The platform was barely visible because of the sea of students swarming every which way. A wave of anxiety hit Emilia, a weight coming to settle on her chest. It must have shown on her face, because the next second, Will had his hand in hers and was dragging her off the train and through the crowds.

            “Do you even know where we’re going?”

            “Firs’ years! Firs’ years over t’me! Firs’ years over ‘ere!” a voice boomed over the noise of the crowd.

            “That seems like a good place to start,” Will smirked.

            Pushing against the current, they followed the voice until they reached a group of students around their age, gathered near a huge man with a bushy, black beard, strands of grey glimmering in the moonlight. “Is tha’ everyone?” he grumbled loudly. “Alrigh’ then, follow me. Firs’ years, follow me!”

            The giant man led the first years off the platform and down a dark path. There was very little that Emilia could see, so she clung to her brother, the anxiety creeping up into her throat. The person in front of her stumbled back a little and trod on her foot. They turned momentary, giving her a quick apology, and pushed forward in the group. Eventually, they came to a stop beside a huge, black expanse of water.

            “This ‘ere’s the Black Lake. You’ll be gettin’ the boats across t’ the castle. Three t’ a boat, and don’t go leanin’ over the side too far or else you’ll fall in.”

            Still latched onto Will, Emilia followed him down to the edge of the Black Lake. Once they found an empty boat, Will held the side steady whilst Emilia climbed in.

            “If you don’t mind, could I join you?” said a voice. The blonde girl Emilia had seen coming out of Ollivander’s stood a little way from them, hands clasped in front of her.

            “Sure,” Emilia smiled.

            “Thank you.”

            “Try t’ follow me. If ya get stuck, give us a shout!” the giant boomed.

            The blonde sat down next to Emilia and Will grabbed the ores and began to row. “What’s your name?”

            “Alice; it’s nice to meet you.”

            “I’m Emilia. That’s Will, he’s my younger brother.”

            “Nice to meet you.” Will already sounded exhausted, making the two girls laugh.

            Just ahead of them, above the massive shadow of trees, appeared the point of a turret. As the tower came into full view, Emilia didn’t notice her mouth falling open. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Twinkling lights from candles were dotted here and there over the smooth stone that walled the great castle. Towers pierced the warm night sky, standing with great majesty over the waters of the Black Lake. Most of the students were so in awe of the sight before them that they didn’t notice they had reached the shore.

            Getting out of the boats was harder, but everyone managed to make it out dry, though some were pale and shaking. Emilia walked beside Alice all the way up to the castle. She didn’t say anything, her nerves growing with every step. Alice didn’t look too well either. Though they had just met, Emilia hoped she had found one new friend at least.

            The giant man banged his fist three times on the great wooden door to the castle. With a loud creak, the door shifted to reveal a stiff looking woman, wrinkles under her eyes, and hair scraped back into a bun. Emilia instantly recognized her as the Hogwarts headmistress, Professor McGonagall.

            “Thank you, Hagrid,” she said. “Students, will you follow me please?”

            There was silence from the student, except for the echoing of their shoes on the marble steps that lead up to the Entrance Hall, and the looming double doors to the Great Hall. For an eleven-year-old girl, it felt like the next half an hour could decide the rest of her school life. Seeing that Will had found James and Fred, she turned to the girl next to her for comfort.

            “Are you nervous?” she whispered to Alice. A sadness seemed to have settled in the blonde’s dull blue eyes. She nodded slowly, but didn’t say a word. Emilia hesitated before reaching out and squeezing the girl’s wrist. “It’ll be okay. The Sorting Hat is supposed to be very wise. It’ll tell us where we belong.” Emilia wished the words of comfort would calm her own heartbeat.

            “Thanks.” Alice smiled weakly.

            “Alright, when you walk through these doors,” McGonagall announced as they reached the Great Hall, “you will be Sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Our system here is that you can earn and loose points for your house, and the house with the highest number of points by the end of the year will win the House Cup. Your house will be like your Hogwarts family. Now, we will proceed to the Ceremony.

            Emilia thought seeing the castle for the first time would be the most breath-taking thing she would experience for a while. She was mistaken.

            Her eyes immediately fixed themselves to the enchanted ceiling. She’d read all about it, but part of her wished that it was real. The flickering flames on the thousands of candles, the bright stars glittering against the inky blue-purple curtain, she soaked in everything that could keep her mind off the terror of know that everyone’s eyes trailing on the first years, and the stool that waited for them in front of the teacher’s table.

            “We will begin.” Another professor came forward and handed the headmistress a roll of parchment. “Finley Barns.”

            Emilia continued to look at the ceiling until McGonagall called the name ‘Alice Crabbe,” and the girl next to her pushed forward through the crowd and up to the stool. She sat down and closed her eyes as the Hat was placed on her head. After a few seconds, it shouted “Slytherin”, and with a quick glance at Emilia, Alice went to sit at the cheering table.

            Being the older sibling, her name would inevitably be called first. And when she heard it, her mind went blank. Her legs moved by themselves, carrying her up to the stool, sitting her down and, for the first time, she let her eyes sweep the entire student body. Something touched her head and her chest swelled.

            “Don’t worry, most people feel the same.” The voice in her ear make her heart leap. “Alright, let’s take a look at you. A mind with great potential, I see. And somewhere, a great ambition for success. I think we’ll find you a place where you can really come out of this little shell you’re in, discovery your true potential.” The low chuckle from the Hat didn’t make her feel any better, and neither did the shout that echoed around the Hall. “Gryffindor!”

            Swallowing hard, Emilia finally turned and looked at her father. He was on his feet, clapping and smiling widely. She couldn’t help but reciprocate, sliding from the stool and running to sit with the rest of Gryffindor house. Her next worry was her brother’s result.

            By the time she was settled, Will was already wearing the Hat. It didn’t take as long with him. “Hufflepuff,” and her heart sank. Her father looked just as pleased as he had been for her, but Will gave her a look of uncertainty. She tried to smile, but couldn’t find it in her to be as happy as she wanted to be.

            As expected, James and Fred were crowned Gryffindors, and it was a fair assumption that they were pleased about that, along with Annie Wood, daughter of a very famous Quidditch player. Another name she recognized was Scamander; both Lorcan and Lysander made it into Ravenclaw.

            After a short welcome speech from the headmistress, the banquet was set to begin. What seemed like every kind of food under the sun, appeared on the platters that ran the length of the tables. Emilia’s mouth began to water; taking some chicken, roast potatoes, and carrots, she began eating.

            “You’re Emilia Longbottom, aren’t you?” The girl diagonally from her called. Emilia looked up and smiled. “I’m Natalie Thomas, my dad went to school with your parents.”

            “Nice to meet you.”

            “And this is my friend Eve.” Natalie gestured to a girl with short, chestnut hair and big, blue eyes. She waved, beaming brightly.

            The three of them made small talk for a few minutes, until Emilia felt something hit her back.

            “Emilia, I think that Ravenclaw guy wants to speak to you,” Natalie giggled.

            She turned to see a very beautiful boy leaning back on the bench, staring with leafy green eyes. He had a wild mop of brown hair, swept across his forehead, and an expectant expression on his face.

            “You’re Professor Longbottom’s daughter.” She nodded. “I’m Kyle Jenson; I’m in second year.” He held out a hand for her to shake. “Your father’s my favourite teacher.”

            Emilia didn’t really know what to say. “Erm, thank you, I guess.”

            “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel awkward.”

            “It’s okay, don’t worry. It’s nice to meet you.”

            “You two. I suppose you’ll want to go back to eating now. I’ll see you around school some time.”

            Emilia smiled at him and turned back to her plate. “Who was that?” Eve leaned towards her inquisitively.

            “His name is Kyle. He said my dad is his favourite teacher.”

            “Awkward conversation starter…he definitely likes you!” Natalie squealed.

            “I doubt it.” The three of them laughed, Emilia shaking her head.

            When the banquet ended, the first years were instructed to leave first and follow their prefects up to their respective common rooms. Emilia’s eyes immediately went to her brother. During the feast, he seemed to have made some friends in Hufflepuff, which settled some of her nerves, but put several others on high alert. If he was making other friends, would he leave her? Of course, she was glad to have at least spoken to Natalie and Eve, but her brother was her safety float and she still felt the struggle of treading water in the deep end.

            In the flurry of students leaving the Great Hall, it was Will who found Emilia. “How are you feeling?”

            “I’m okay. How are you?”

            “A bit miffed that we got split up, but I met some people, and the girls you were talking to seem nice.”

            “They are, yes.”

            “Could you do me a favour? Could you keep an eye on James for me? Because we aren’t in the same house, I can’t really stop him from getting himself expelled all the time.”

            Emilia laughed. “I’ll do my best.”

            “Thanks, Emilia. Have a good night’s sleep, and I’ll see you in the morning.” The Hufflepuffs split off from the crowd, and the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws began their ascent up the many perilous staircases.

            Emilia had seen picture of the hallways at Hogwarts, but the feeling they gave her when she walked through them for the first time wasn’t something she’d ever felt before. It seemed a little silly, because she would be walking these same halls for the next seven years. But Hogwarts would be like a second home to her; it was supposed to make her feel special.

            Glancing her hand along the walls as the Gryffindor prefects led them higher and higher, it was hard for her eyes to drink in the sight of all the paintings and doorways, and keeping her balance as the staircases moved.

            The group gathered in front of a portrait of a very large woman. She smiled at the students, and swung forwards when the prefects gave her the password, which Emilia took due not of. Climbing through the hole behind the portrait, they found themselves in the Gryffindor Common Room.

            “Girls’ dormitories are upstairs and to the right. Boys, the same but turn left. Lessons start tomorrow so make sure you get to sleep straight way,” the female prefect clipped.

            There were four beds in the first-year girls’ dorm room. Emilia took the one opposite the door. Her trunk and owl had been brought up, and a new Gryffindor uniform sat on her bedside table. Ender cooed, and she gave him a treat from her bag and stroked his feathers until he fell asleep.

            “I’m Annie,” said the girl in the bed next to hers.

            “Yes, Oliver Wood’s daughter.”

            “And you’re the daughter of a war hero turned professor.”

            “I suppose so.”

            “What do you think this year will be like?”

            “I honestly don’t know. I’ve been so focused on making it through the first day that I never really had the chance to think of anything beyond that.”

            Annie giggled. “We’ll be friends from now on, okay?”

            “Yes, if you like.”

            “Goodnight, Emilia.”

            “Goodnight, Annie.”

            Changing in her pyjamas, she snuggled under the covers, letting her body relax. The weight on her chest was still there, if a little lighter. She had made it this far. How much worse could it get?


	5. The Gift and The Curse

The next morning, Emilia woke to the sound of chatter from the dorm room’s shared bathroom. The window beside her bed was wide open and Ender was gone. After a few minutes of groaning, stretching, and trying not to fall back to sleep, she made it out of bed and into the bathroom.

            “Morning,” Annie smiled at her through the mirror.

            “Morning,” she replied.

            “That’s Natalie in the shower. Eve isn’t awake yet. She’ll have to hurry, or she’ll miss breakfast.”

            Emilia pulled her hair back, going to stand at the second sink. She washed her face, and went back into dorm room to change into her new Gryffindor uniform, twisting her hair into a braid over her shoulder.

            By the time Natalie had finally dragged Eve out of bed and helped her get dressed, breakfast period was almost over. The four of them rushed out of Gryffindor tower, hurrying down the staircases until they reached the Great Hall.

            Owls were swooping down from the rafters; Emilia didn’t even reach the table before Ender soared towards her and landed on her arm. He carried a large bulky envelope, which she took out of his beak and walked to sit down at Gryffindor table, a little away from the other students.

            Tearing the top of the envelope, Emilia pulled out a folded piece of parchment. It read;

_Dear Emilia,_

_It feels a little weird just writing to you, and not your brother as well, but you know how he is. He’ll probably be embarrassed in front of his new friends about getting a letter from his mum on the first day of school._

_Congratulations for being sorted into Gryffindor. Your dad is so proud, as am I._

_We thought you might be put into Ravenclaw, but we thought it best to give this to you anyway. Your dad gave this necklace to me when we got engaged, and we thought you should have it. It is made from the remnants of Rowena Ravenclaw’s diadem. I hope that it will bring you luck._

_All my love to you and your brother,_

_Mum X_

Emilia looked again inside the envelope. There was a large, black-blue jewel embedded in a silver nest, the pendent attached to a long, silver chain. Something, and she didn’t know what, stopped her from taking it out of the envelope. Perhaps it was the questions that people would inevitably ask about the strange object. Slipping the envelope into the front pocket of her bag, she moved down the bench to sit with the other girls.

            “Here.” Annie handed her a sheet of paper. “It’s our timetable.”

            “Thanks.”

            “We have Charms first thing with Slytherin today.”

            “Charms sounds really good, and I’m looking forward to Defence Against the Dark Arts too.”

            “I just can’t wait for Quidditch!”

            “Oh my God, you like Quidditch too?” Emilia smiled widely.

            “Yeah, I know it seems a little cliché for me to like it, just because of my dad. But I just want to try out _this_ year!”

            “Me too.”

            “What position?”

            “Honestly, I don’t care. I’d just love to play. What about you?”

            “Either Keeper or Chaser. Oh, I’m so glad I found someone who likes Quidditch just as much as me.”

            “Someone say Quidditch?” Fred appeared, sitting down opposite Emilia.

            “Yeah,” said Annie. “We were just talking about try outs.”

            “You know you can’t try out until second year, unless you’re my dad,” James chirped from behind her.

            “Is this what we’re going to hear from you for the next seven years?” Annie threw him a hooded glance, before turning to Emilia. “Come on, let’s get to class.”

            When the girls reached the classroom, most of the Slytherins had already arrived. From the third row, Alice looked up and waved at Emilia. She hurried to take the seat next her, Annie following to sit down at the end of the row.

            “Annie, this is Alice. We met on the boats yesterday. Alice, this is Annie Wood.” The two greeted each other nicely, but didn’t manage to get into a sort of conversation before the door to the classroom was whisked open, to reveal a very small man, who came hobbling down to the front of the classroom.

            Emilia had been looking forward to her Hogwarts classes ever since she had learnt of the school’s existence. And after waiting all this time, she could hardly believe she was there. Determined to do well, she got out her parchment, quills and ink, and turned to listen intently to the professor as he began to speak.

*

A couple of weeks passed, and although Emilia was greatly enjoying her new life away from home, somethings felt a little strange.

            She didn’t see her brother as much as she had hoped, and considering how little they saw of each other, she thought they would have plenty to talk about. But when they _did_ speak to each other, it was like he didn’t much want to see her. He was still very close with James, so it couldn’t be anything to do with them being in different houses.

            Although she had sat with Alice in every lesson they had together in the first week, come week two, she had moved away without any kind of explanation. She acknowledged her very little when they passed each other in the corridors. Of course, they hadn’t known each other for very long, but it still felt weird.

            It was on one Sunday evening in late September, Emilia was going to get a couple of books out of the library for her Potions homework, when she met Alice by the Potions shelves. Glad to find her alone, Emilia gave a cheery greeting and went to look through the books. When Alice didn’t respond, Emilia decided to push for an explanation.

            “Alice, it everything okay?” No response. “What’s the matter? Why don’t you sit with me in class anymore? Did I do something wrong?”

            Alice glanced up and down the aisle of books, as though she was afraid someone would see her with Emilia. After everyone had disappeared, she turned to give Emilia a pitying look.

            “I’m sorry, but I don’t think we can be friends anymore.”

            “What? Why not?”

            “It’s just that…well…your dad is a teacher, and that makes you kind of, like…well, I don’t know exactly. But my other friends don’t really like you, and you’re in a different house. It just seems like this is going to be too hard. And I have lots of work as well.”

            Emilia could tell from the half-hearted tone of Alice’s voice that she didn’t believe what she was saying, but unable to comprehend what she had done to make people hate her, and what her father had to do with this, she didn’t speak for a while. Her father wasn’t _just_ a teacher, he was a war hero. And he seemed very well liked by the students.

            When she finally did speak, all she could say was “okay. If that how you feel, I won’t bother you anymore.” She was sad to lose a friend, and with her mind uncontrollably producing every scenario in which she had made mistakes, she wasn’t in the right mood to do work.

            Leaving Alice to stare after her, she walked out of the library and headed back to the dorms. No tears fell from her eyes, but her heart had fallen in her chest. Perhaps if she were a little older, or in Alice’s position, she would understand exactly what was going on. But for an young girl, still settling into a whole new place, it seemed like the biggest thing in world.

            Just before she reached her dorm room, she heard a conversation coming from the first-year boys’ dorm. She could hear her brother’s voice in there as well. Against her better judgement, Emilia crossed the landing that split the boys’ and girls’ dorms and moved a closer to the door so that she could hear the conversation better.

            “…it’s fine. You can just borrow my cloak on your way back,” she heard James groan.

            “Are you sure? What if I get into trouble?”

            “God, you’re almost as bad as your sister!” That made her ears prick up.

            “What?”

            “Oh, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed. I see how you avoid her. And the way she clings to Alice and Annie like a lost puppy. No wonder Alice has started avoiding her too. I bet you she couldn’t survive a day by herself. She’s completely helpless. I wish she would just leave us all alone!” James’ words cut through her like a knife, and she felt part of her soul slip away. She prayed for her brother to defend her, but instead came another voice.

            “Don’t say that. You hardly know her. It might just be a little hard for her to settle in.” It was Fred. But even this couldn’t comfort her.

            “I don’t need to get to know her to know that she’s just a pathetic whelp who can’t take a joke. I knew from when I when I first met her. My little brother had to come and save her. You should have seen how much she cried-”

            Emilia strode back across the landing, not wanting to hear another word. She climbed the stairs to her own dorm, pushing through the door, and slamming it behind her. The little pleasure she got was that there wasn’t anyone in the dorm to see the tears that had finally begun to fall. Still in her uniform, she tucked herself under the covers of her bed, and buried her face into the pillows.

            She couldn’t remember how long she cried, but by the time someone else entered the room, her breathing had calmed. Emilia was unable to look up at them, fearing her eyes were still red, or that she would be bothering them with her troubles. Instead, she stayed silent, closed her eyes, and let herself drift off into what she hoped would be a dreamless sleep.

            But her hopes could not be fulfilled. James’ words kept passing through her mind, ever clearer each time.

            And as she hoped for the same thing every night for the next four years, the same fate beheld her almost every time she closed her eyes.


	6. New Beginnings

Cold beads of sweat dribbled down the crevice between her shoulder blades. The back of her oversized shirt was soaked, as the was bottom of her pillow, and damp patches littered her bedsheets. Emilia was very lucky when she got a night of peace. Her sleep always seemed to be plagued by the same two nightmares.

            In the first, and most frequently occurring, she was falling, James’ words echoing in the black abyss. _She’s helpless. She’s just a pathetic whelp. You should have seen how much she cried. I wish she would just leave us all alone!_ The people she had once called friends turned their backs on her. And she would always wake up in a cold sweat after hearing an almighty roar; to anyone else the sound hailed danger, but something about it made Emilia’s skin crawl. What she heard was a cry of agony.

            The second nightmare had only began haunting her in the Summer before her third year at Hogwarts, and it didn’t even feel like her own. The eyes through which she saw the man in the black suit didn’t seem like hers. The man would stare at her, paining her chest. He would stare, but wouldn’t do anything else. She didn’t even think she had seen him before; how could someone she didn’t recognize be in her nightmares? These were the times when she would wake up sick to the stomach, and would have to rush to the window for air.

            Depression had hit her hard in second year, bringing with it a suffocating mutism. And when rumours began to spread around the school about her having stretch marks on her stomach, hips and thighs because of how much she ate, and when it was made apparent by a certain Alice Crabbe that she didn’t have the model’s figure that was deemed desirable, suddenly food became her enemy. She has grown thin and frail, her hair lack-lustre, her face almost grey.

            The friends she had made sometimes felt like her enemies too. Some gave up on her soon after she stopped talking. But a few had been persistent. Annie always tried to keep her in conversations, even managing to get her to come and watch the school Quidditch matches. Kyle, who she had met again when he helped her with a History of Magic just before the Christmas holidays of her first year, also kept her up to date with Quidditch news, for which she was grateful. Although Emilia had failed to make the team in second, third, and fourth year, where classes and music had become of little interest, Quidditch seemed like the only thing that really gave her focus; it kept her mind occupied.

            It had taken her a while to realize the effect that her behaviours had had on the people around her. Though it sounded unlikely, she hadn’t spoken more than ten words to her brother for about three years. He had made his choice; he was still friends with James, even after the things he had said about her. As for her parents, they seemed to have fallen into a despair. They kept smiling, chatting to her every day, but no amount of therapy or medication seemed to help her.

            Emilia knew that she wasn’t well, and it wasn’t her fault all of this had happened. But she also knew that she could have been stronger. She could have pushed herself harder. Things didn’t have to be this way, if she just made that extra effort. She had been selfish. She wasn’t proud of herself. She knew that she had been in self-destruct mode ever since she started letting the words of people she barely knew get to her. She knew she needed to change.

            It wasn’t going to happen straight away. It couldn’t. She would just have to take it one step at a time.

            After a long shower, she got dressed and made her way down to the kitchen, a damp towel hanging around her neck. It was the middle of July, the windows were all open, but there wasn’t a soul in sight.

            Emilia noticed a bright pink sticky note on the fridge; _Unexpected issue with deeds to Leaky Cauldron. Be back before lunch. Eat breakfast, Emilia! Love Mum and Dad._

            Emilia had hoped that her parents would be the first ones she could try and talk with about what she wanted to do, how she wanted to change. But fearing that she would change her mind before they got home, her brother was the next best thing. Will was going to be ten times harder to find the courage to speak to than her parents. They had been so close, her only friend before Hogwarts, but where James went, so did Will. And that’s how it all fell apart.

            Hearing the television blaring from the living room, she approached the door from the kitchen, chewing her lower lip. The door was silent as it opened, but even when it clicked shut, Will didn’t look up from his slouched position on the sofa. An American sitcom was playing, nothing he hadn’t seen before.

            A huge lump rose in Emilia’s throat, not wanting her to speak. It was the same thing that had kept from speaking many times over the past few years. But she balled up her fists, determined to make this tiny step forwards, and shallowed. “Can I…” she tried. “..sit?”

            Her brother finally looked up, a bewildered expression plastered onto his pale face. “Erm, sure. If you like.”

            Emilia breathed a sigh of relief. She sat down a little way from Will, staring at the television, waiting for the adverts, and thinking of what she might want say when they came. Then the screen went black. She glanced over to Will, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her, and hadn’t changed his expression since she had spoken.

            “Emilia?” His voice shook ever so slightly. She didn’t reply, just waited for him to continue. “Are you alright?”

            “Yes,” she whispered.

            “It’s just that…well…” He let out a nervous laugh. “It’s just that you’re talking…to _me_.”

            “Mum and Dad aren’t…”

            Will laughed and, though she wasn’t sure why, she wanted to laugh with him. “You’re actually talking to me. I can’t believe this!” He moved closer to her. “This is brilliant!” Emilia opened her mouth to say something else, but Will shushed her. “Wait. Just wait a few moments. I have something I want to say.” He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

            “Okay...”

            “No, wait. This is so sudden that I haven’t rehearsed this speech for a few months. Okay. I’m sorry that I gave up on you, and I did, if you didn’t know. It was so much easier being popular with James than it was to stand by my own big sister. Not a day goes by that I don’t feel ashamed of that. I was a coward and I was selfish. If anyone is dependant, it’s me. I didn’t think that you might have needed me.” He reached out, though hesitant to touch her in case she wasn’t comfortable with it. But she met his hand with hers and clasped it firmly. “It means a lot that you were able to talk to me. I would have waited forever if it meant that I could have my sister back.”

            “You’re mature. It’s…strange.”

            “You know my friends; there has to be someone around to keep them from killing themselves or getting expelled!”

            Emilia almost smiled, but the funny side soon seemed cloaked with the dread of school beginning again in less than six weeks.

            “Don’t worry about that now.” Will read her mind. “Just focus on today. This is a huge step for you. Mum and Dad are going to be so proud!” He grinned, ignoring any protests she might have, and pulled his sister into his arms. She squirmed, her neck resting awkwardly between his chest and his shoulder, her damp hair wetting his shirt. Despite this, it was good to have someone special back in her life.

            Although the conversation was initially filled with awkward silences, by the time their parents came home, Emilia felt much more comfortable around her brother, able to string together full sentences. Both Hannah and Neville cried, gushing over how happy they were that she was beginning to help herself, and pattered her head with kisses.

            In the weeks leading up to school, they decided it best to wean Emilia off her medication. It didn’t seem to be having much of an effect on her symptoms, and only reinforced the idea that there was something biological wrong with her, something bad that needed suppressing. She begun to smile more and more every day, engaging in what used to be normal conversation with her brother and parents. Although she had gotten herself into quite a state the day they went out to Diagon Ally to buy school supplies, she pulled through and, thankfully, didn’t bump into anyone she recognized from school.

            By the night of the thirty-first of August, Emilia had her entire first week of school planned out in her head. She was going to write to her friends, but thought an apology in person would give her the little push that she needed. This year at Hogwarts was going to be very different, and in more ways than she knew.


	7. Train Wreck

Nothing seemed to have changed on Platform Nine and Three Quarters when the Longbottoms arrived through the wall from Kings Cross Station. Neville had returned to Hogwarts a week early to prepare for the new term; Emilia and Will stood with their mother amid the bustling crowd.

            “Have a good term, the two of you. Emilia, be sure to tell your father if you don’t feel well. And Will, look after your sister.”

            “Mum!” Emilia strung it out with a whine. “I can take care of myself.” This probably wasn’t true, but she really didn’t want to worry her mother any more than she already had.

            “I know, I know,” Hannah said, pulling Emilia into one last hug, her eyes threatening tears. “But I only just my bright, little girl back. I don’t want to lose her.”

            “You won’t, Mum,” Emilia smiled with new determination. “I’ll write, every week, twice when Will forgets. See you at Christmas.”

            “I’ll hold you to that promise.” Hannah brushed both of her cheeks with the backs of her hands and kissed her forehead.         

            “I’ll take the cases, you grab the owls.”

            Emilia hesitated at Will’s request. “But what about James?” her voice wavered slightly. Thankfully, their mother didn’t seem to hear.

            “You’re my sister, something I managed to forget. Come on, before all the compartments are taken. Don’t worry, Mum. She’s got me.”

            “I’ll be alright; goodbye Mum.” Waving, Emilia walked backwards to the train until their mother was lost in the crowd.

            Will heaved the trunks onto the train and down the corridor to find an empty compartment. After dropping to owls off in the animal carriage, Emilia returned to find Will struggling to get the trunks into the baggage shelves at the end of the car.

            “Need a hand?”

            “Thanks.”

            Emilia and Will sat in silence as the train pulled away from the station. They waved to their mother, then leaned back in the chairs, not knowing what to say. Everything was going to change. Emilia hadn’t quite figured out how she would cope if things became bad again, but she didn’t want to think about that now.

            “So, are any of your friends coming to sit with us?” she mumbled.

            “I don’t know,” Will mused, which immediately set her on edge. “My friends and I don’t really write to each other over Summer.”

            After a long silence, Emilia stood up suddenly. “I’m going to find Annie.”

            “Are you sure?”

            “Yes, she’s my best friend. She’s tried her best through all of this, and never gave up on me. The _least_ she deserves is an apology.”

            “Do you want me to go with you?”

            “Thank you, but no. I need to do this alone.”

            Emilia left her brother and walked towards the back of the train. The older students tended to be back there. She received her usual funny looks as she glanced into the compartments, through the glass and open doors. Being the daughter of a teacher hadn’t really gotten any easier, though indeed her father had always been well liked by the students.

            “Emilia?” a voice came from one of the compartments as she passed. She stopped, turning slowly on her heel. A Ravenclaw boy stepped out into the corridor. “I thought it might have been you. How have you been?”

            “Better,” she managed to whisper, feeling that invisible hand close around her throat again.

            “That’s great to hear!” Kyle beamed. “You look a little lost; is everything okay?”

            “Looking for Annie,” Emilia pushed out. “Actually!” It came out far louder than she had intended, due the sheer force she needed to get the word out. She tried again, but this time, quieter. “Actually, I would like to talk to you, if that’s okay?” she spoke carefully, breathing in between every couple of words, but had to rush the end.

            Kyle stared at her for a moment, likely in shock of how many words she had spoken at once. “Of course,” he said, after a moment.

            Emilia brought a hand to her throat, scratching, clawing at the hand that only existed in her mind. Closing her eyes and leaning against the window, she thought through her next words carefully. She had been able to speak to her brother after three years of silence; Kyle, a boy who had always made an effort to keep her in reality, shouldn’t be so difficult apologise to. And yet, the fact that he had continued trying, and she had continued to reject him, made things so much harder.

            “I…have been working hard over Summer.” The first statement sounded wheezy, and Emilia felt the hand tighten.

            “Please, take your time. There’s not rush.” Kyle gave her the familiar smile that had always comforted her. There was nothing to be afraid of.

            Straining against everything that she had built up to save her from the clutches of her own mind, she spoke. “I have been working over summer. I’m trying to make myself better. I’ve started talking to my brother, and he and my parents are helping me.” Emilia took a deep breath and sighed. “Anyway, that’s not really what I wanted to say. I wanted to say that…that I’m sorry.” The hand loosened slightly. “I know you’ve been trying so hard to make this friendship work, and I haven’t been helping you at all. I’m sorry that it has taken me this long to realize how I’ve been affecting everyone around me. I really appreciate everything that you’ve done for me. It wasn’t fair of me to cling to you. You don’t have to be friends with me any longer. I just want you to know that I’m sorry.” Emilia didn’t look up from the floor the entire time she was speaking. It was too difficult to look at Kyle’s face without crying.

            “Hey, why would you say that? Of course I still want to be friends with you. I know that you’re still the amazing girl I met in first year-”

            “But I’m not.” Emilia looked up, trying desperately to make her voice assertive, but what came out was more of a whimper. Heaving another deep sigh, she gathered up her momentary anger. “And that’s okay. I’d rather not be like her actually.”

            “You should be yourself, Emilia, no matter what other people think.”

            “But this way I can become who I want to be.”

            “And whoever that is, I’ll be standing right by them.”

            Emilia couldn’t help but smile. It was becoming so easy to talk to him, and so quickly. “I can’t thank you enough.” Kyle was the one to pull _her_ into a hug. The hand had taken temporary leave, her body flushing with a warm, fluffy feeling.

            “You really _have_ been working hard. And I hate to dismiss you, but you’re on a roll. Best go find Annie.”

            “Of course, yes,” she smiled, pulling away. “Thank you again.”

            “You’re welcome.”

            Emilia was reluctant to leave Kyle standing in the car corridor. He waved after her until she disappeared into the next car. Having stepped out of her comfort zone twice now, Annie would be a breeze. But she had to find her first.

            “Emilia! Hi!” A voice piped up from behind her as she peered at through the glass of a compartment.

            Emilia twisted her head, and smiled. “Albus, how are you?” Her tone surprised her, and Albus too.

            “Wow, you’re really…different.”

            “Sorry,” she shrank back into herself. “I didn’t mean to…” But Emilia couldn’t find the words to finish.

            “It’s been so long! How are you?”

            “I’m good, thank you.”

            “I’m sorry we lost touch.” Albus hung his head quite suddenly. “You were upset, and I didn’t know what to do. I felt awful.”

            “I think I’m the one who owes you an apology.” Emilia’s voice was back to a whisper. “I wasn’t just upset. It was a lot worse than that. But I didn’t want you to be involved in it.”

            “Why not?” Because Albus was only two years younger than her, it was easy to forget that he really didn’t have any idea how bad things had gotten. She was hesitant to tell him the truth, but as the hand began to claw at her neck, she knew telling a lie wasn’t an option.

            “Because it involves your brother.”

            “Oh.” He didn’t seem to know what to say.

            “I should go. I’m trying to find Annie.”

            “If I see her, I’ll let her know you’re looking for her.”

            “Thank you.” Emilia tried to smile. She knew Albus would always look up to his brother, no matter what he had done. But he was _her_ friend too; whatever changes were to come might affect him. It seemed so unfair to make him choose, so she left him to think on it, and continued down the corridor.

            She reached the end of the next car without any luck. Only then did she notice that the usual sick feeling she had at the beginning of every school year, had gone. Even though she had been able to reconcile with a friend in every house but her own, she wasn’t dreading the welcome banquet at all.

            Moving with more confidence than she had felt in years, she walked to the next car. Her hopes were lifted even higher when she was sure she heard the voice of Fred Weasley. But her happiness was not to last, for of course, it seemed too much to ask for the fates to let someone like her have the smallest bit of luck. The one person she had hoped she wouldn’t have to see until the evening, stepped out from a compartment a few metres ahead of where she stood.

            Her whole body seemed to shake at the mere sight of his grin. To anyone else, it would have seemed playful, harmless, attractive even. But all Emilia could do was drop her head and swallow hard. It was only the thought of having Annie, her best friend, back at her side that pushed her to take the next few steps. Not lifting her eyes, she moved against the window, praying to anyone that she could just slip under his nose without him noticing. But all her hope seemed to shatter when she felt a hard bump against her shoulder.

            “Watch where you’re going,” James spat, sniffing in disgust.

            Emilia began to shake more violently. She was about to utter yet another apology, when she accidently caught his eye through her hair, and suddenly her mind sharpened. Something unfamiliar stirred in the very depths of her ribcage and her feelings became clear; it wasn’t fear, it was rage.

            The chains on her vocal chords fell, the hand banished for eternity. Her body no longer felt like her own. Something threw her head up, flinging the hair from her face, and turning her eyes to see James striding away.

            “Hey!” a voice that sounded something like hers, but scarily fierce, jumped from her lips. Any fear she had initially felt for James had turned to how little control she had over herself. Feeling her cheeks flush hot and red, Emilia could only let whatever it was speak for her. “I moved so that you could pass. There was room for both of us!”

            James stopped, turned, his usual smile gone, his untamed mop of hair hanging well over his furrowed eyebrows. “You what now?”

            “You think you can treat me like this?” Emilia spat, her mind screaming at her to shut up and run before things got ugly. But the thing in her chest stirred again and her inner voice was silenced. “You think that just because you glowed up early, because you’ve got the right genes in the right order, you think you can treat me like shit?”

            “Where the hell did this come from?” James no longer looked confused, more bewildered.

            “I’m sick and tired of you and your lot thinking you’re a cut above the rest. You’re just the same as the rest of us. And just because you’re the eldest child of the Chosen One, you think you’re entitled? You think the world owes you? The world doesn’t owe you shit! Your father was the Chosen One, not you.”

            He was now approaching her like one might approach a spooked deer. “Emilia, I think you need to calm down.”

            “There you go again, thinking you can tell me what to do. You know, the prophecy never spoke of your father specifically. It could have been _my_ father! It could have been _me_!” And as soon as James was within arm’s reach, something made her lash out, striking his cheek with the back of her left hand. He stumbled back, not because she had hit him particularly hard, but because he would have never seen it coming, least from her.

            “What the hell is going on?” came a familiar voice, but neither took notice.

            “People…the people here just treat me that way. It’s not my fault.” James recovered quickly. “It’s not my fault you’ve always been such a pushover.”

            “Not your fault? You were my friend! You should have stood up for me!”

            James sniggered. “Stood up for you? You’re joking, right? You think I would throw away a chance at having a bunch of friends for a girl I barely knew? And come on, we were hardly friends.”

            “I’m your best friend’s sister.”

            “Yeah, and he chose me over you.”

            It stung, like a knife to the heart. The stirring wavered and began to fade. James had won this fight, but Emilia had the feeling that, until she figured out what this angry force was, there would be many more.

            “For a moment there, I thought you might have changed, grown a backbone. But it looks to me like you’re still the same little girl, clinging to anything with a pulse that shows her the slightest bit of pity.”

            Emilia was too focused on the fading anger, and regaining control of her body again to even come up with an answer. Defending herself was now the last thing on her mind. Then, something wrapped itself around her; it wasn’t the hand, nor any mental chain, but a pair of arms. They guided her body down the corridor, away from where James was now long gone, and into a smaller area. They sat her down, let go, and she became cold.

            “Emilia, Emilia, are you alright? What happened back there?” The voice was closer, right next to her ear.

            She couldn’t answer right away. Still getting to grips with control, she didn’t realize that tears were rolling down her face until she felt a finger wipe them away. “I don’t know,” she muttered.

            “What did she do?” someone else asked.

            “Just after I looked out, she hit James across the face. It was pretty scary.”

            “Annie?” Emilia lifted her head to look at the girl next to her.

            “Yes, are you alright?”

            “I’m not really sure. I don’t know what that was. It didn’t feel like me, like I wasn’t in control of my own body.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “You know me, I’d never do anything like that, especially not to James.” Her voice still shook.

            “If it wasn’t you, then what was it?”

            Emilia recognized the two girls who were sitting across from her. Eve and Natalie had stopped trying to encourage her to speak about a year ago, and she couldn’t blame them. But now, they looked genuinely concerned for her.

            “I think the only way to describe it is that there was something inside of me,” she touched her chest, “like a second soul, a second being, that told my body what to do and my mouth what to say, and I didn’t have any power over it. And it was so angry, like nothing I’ve ever felt. I should have been afraid of James, but I wasn’t.”

            “I’m sorry, but can we back up a bit. How come you’re able to talk to us? I think you’ve said more words in the past thirty seconds that you have in the past three years!” She understood Natalie’s confusion.

            “It’s like what I felt just now completely eradicated what was stopping me from talking before. I don’t imagine it’ll last, but for now I just don’t feel any resistance.”

            “Are you sure?” Annie looked at her hopefully. “You sound so much better.”

            “I have been trying to turn things around over summer, and it’s been working. But nothing is going to change overnight. Just now was a freak episode; I can’t make any promises about how I’ll be later.”

            “But you’re trying, and that’s amazing,” Eve piped up, grinning.

            “Do you think maybe you could accept my apologies? I know I haven’t treated you very well.”

            “Of course, and we want to help you, right?” Eve turned to Natalie, as did the others.

            Natalie looked a little uncomfortable. She took a deep breath and signed. “If you promise not to completely shut us out again. I mean, we’re your friends, you’re supposed to come to us with anything, even stuff you can’t tell your parents.”

            “I promise,” Emilia whispered. “I promise, I’ll do my best to talk to you guys.”

            “Then okay,” Natalie smiled.

            “Thank you.” Emilia rubbed one of her eyes with the heel of her hand, and noticed the badge in Natalie’s hands. “You’re a Prefect. I knew you would be. Who’s the other one?”

            “I don’t know yet, but I hope it’s Casper, because Godric knows the other boys are bloody useless! I have to go for a meeting soon in the Prefects’ carriage, so I’ll find out then.”

            “This year is going to great,” Annie smiled. “I just know it. Now, let’s get changed.”


	8. The Tournament

It hadn’t occurred to her that she might have to pay for hitting James. Though her body had recovered from the initial shock of the stirring rage, her mind had begun to run wild with every possibility of what it could be. Her mother had told her to go to her father if anything was bothering her, and it seemed unwise to keep this from him. And with James having likely told Will, he would be finding out from one of them soon enough.

            The three other Gryffindor girls surrounded Emilia as they stepped off the train, acting as a shield against the rest of the student body, Natalie having returned from her Prefect meeting. Easily getting a carriage to themselves, they began rolling up to the castle.

            “What year is it again?” Annie asked, frowning as she counted on her fingers.

            “2019, why?” Natalie said.

            “Isn’t is supposed to be the Triwizard Tournament this year?”

            “Yeah, you’re right.”

            “And shouldn’t it be held at Hogwarts this time around?”

            “Oh my God!” Eve jumped up in her seat. “It’ll be amazing if it is! Do you remember what happened five years ago?”

            Emilia winced at the memory. After the Second Task, her parents had forbidden her and Will watch the end of the coverage that year. “They’ll put up the age limit again this year, I think,” she said. “Either that or make the tasks easier.”

            “Where’s the fun in that?” Eve giggled, quite sadistically.

            “Are you trying out for Quidditch again this year, Emilia?” Annie looked at her expectantly.

            “I don’t know. I haven’t played in a while, and I don’t really think I have a chance.”

            “Nonsense! You’re a whole new girl now. You can easily get onto to the team this year. I have faith in you. I’ll even do extra practices with you, if you like.”

            Emilia smiled widely at Annie. Even though she was feeling more confident with each word she spoke, the fact that a friend believed in her made the path seem so much clearer. “Thank you.” She wished she could find the words to express just how grateful she was, but she feared she would cry, or laugh, or collapse of exhaustion if she said anything else.

            When they reached the castle, Annie took hold of Emilia’s hand, so that they wouldn’t lose each other as the sea of students threw them forwards up the steps. A few of the teachers stood in the Entrance Hall, shouting over the chatter in an attempt to tame the great mob that gushed into the Great Hall.

            “Emilia!” Someone grabbed hold of her wrist. Annie had already dragged her to a seat at Gryffindor table, pulling the third member of their chain along with them. “Oh good, you found her.” Will came to sit next to her on the bench, legs in the aisle, his back facing the table.

            “Will, what’s the matter?”

            “You never came back; I was worried about you. And then James came in with Fred, all up in arms about how you’d gone psycho and hit him.”

            Emilia looked towards the doors from the Entrance Hall, spotting James coming to sit with the other Gryffindor boys in fifth year. He traced a finger over a small purple mark on his left cheekbone, thankfully not meeting her gaze. “I need to talk to Dad about it actually. Would you come with me?”

            “Of course, anything you need.”

            “Thank you. We’ll talk about it later. You can go and sit with your house now.”

            “It’s nothing serious, is it?”

            Annie reached over and patted Will’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, she’s got me.” Smiling gratefully, Will let go of his sister and went to sit at Hufflepuff table.

            After the Sorting Ceremony was complete – Emilia didn’t recognize any of the names except for that of Lily Potter, who joined her eldest brother in Gryffindor house, as did Hugo Weasley – Professor McGonagall returned to the Headmistress’ chair, but did not sit down. Instead, she raised her arms and the excitable mutters from the student body fell into dead silence.

            “Before we begin our Welcome Banquet, I have an announcement to make. As some of you may already have realized, this year marks the occurrence of the Triwizard Tournament. And this year, Hogwarts has been given the honour of hosting such an event. The students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving on the 1st of October, and I expect that you will all make them feel welcome here. You are all representatives of the school, and I know that you will do Hogwarts proud.”

            No sooner had McGonagall stopped speaking, the Great Hall burst into chatter, far louder and more manic than it had been prior to the announcement.

            “I told you, didn’t I?” Annie flapped her hands, and looked as though she would never be calm again.

            “You did,” Emilia obliged, staring up at the teachers’ table, at her father.

            “Isn’t this just amazing? I knew this was going to be a great year. I wonder who the Champion from Hogwarts with be. I wonder if the Beauxbaton girls are as pretty as everyone says. You know, I heard that they won’t let you in unless you’re considered in the top 10% most beautiful in your country.”

            “I really doubt that, Annie,” Natalie giggled, shaking her head.

            No one noticed as the headmistress raised her hands, and didn’t silence until she placed the tip of her wand to her throat, her voice booming across the Hall.

            “Because of the Tournament, I am afraid I must inform you that the usual Inter-House Quidditch tournament will not be happening this year.”

            “What!?” James shrieked, along with a few others across the House tables, banging his fist on the table.

            “I know that some of you are disappointed, but this is how it is. That will be all.”

            Most students were still so shocked by either one of the announcements and didn’t even notice the food appearing on the platters in front of them, too desperate to get words out of their mouths to think about putting food into them.

            “Emilia, come on, you have to eat _something_.” Eve eyed her friend’s conflicted expression. “You don’t have to eat a lot, but you should at least have something.”

            Emilia nodded her head slowly, knowing that, though Eve meant well, no one was going to give her any peace until she ate. The vegetable tart looked quite good, and was left untouched. Swallowing hard, she waited for the hand to creep up and wrap itself around her throat, but it didn’t. Cautioned by its absence, she waited to catch Fred Weasley’s eye instead of calling out to him. She was still a little afraid of drawing James’ attention, not wanted to conjure any anger in front of so many people.

            Fred grinned at her when he met her gaze, and she knew he was thinking of what she had done to James. “Are you alright?”

            “Yes, thank you. Could you pass me that tart, please?”

            “Here,” he held out his hand. “Give me your plate and I’ll cut you a slice.”

            Although not pleased that she unable to regulate her portion size, Fred’s gesture took her a little be surprise, and she couldn’t say no. He handed her back the plate with a reasonable sized slice and a wink, demanding playfully that she enjoy it.

            “You don’t have any problems with Fred?” Natalie whispered across the table, glancing at the boy who was now laughing with James.

            Emilia shook her head. “I don’t know. I guess he never really had anything to do with it.”

            “But he’s friends with James, and they’re related.”

            “I remember he defended me when the others were saying horrible things, so I suppose that, no matter what else he did or didn’t do, part of me felt like he was on my side. But I haven’t spoken to him in years either. I haven’t really been able to sort things out in my head yet.”

            Natalie still didn’t look convinced. “Alright. I just don’t want you getting your hopes up, and getting hurt again.”

            “Thank you. I’ll be careful.”

*

Annie and Eve walked little ahead of Emilia on the way up to Gryffindor tower. Annie was still ranting quite animatedly about the cancellation of Quidditch. Natalie had taken the first years up at the end of the banquet. All of the talking, and worrying about talking, had drained Emilia of energy. She couldn’t wait to feel a pillow under her head.

            “Emilia, could I speak to you for a minute, if that’s alright with you.” Emilia’s eyes trailed behind Fred and then over her other shoulder before she could satisfy him with a response. “Don’t worry about James. He’s way behind, talking to your brother, I think.”

            “Oh, I was only…what was it that you wanted to say?”

            “I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry.”

            It was nice to know what she hadn’t been the only one who felt like handing out apologies that day. “What for?”

            “Well, after catching up with the trolley, James came back to our compartment pretty confused, something about you backhanding him in the face.” She couldn’t help but smile with him. “I mean, he’s my friend and all, but he can be a real arsehole at times. Anyway, we went to find your brother, and he told us everything, about you wanting to really push yourself to get better and all. And I think that’s great, by the way. And I haven’t always been there for you, especially when all my friends started saying stuff about you, and treating you like that.”

            “It’s okay,” Emilia interjected, before he could go on. “They’re your friends, and it’s really hard to go against them, or even realize that what they’re doing is hurting someone else. Plus, you were really popular and everything. I mean, if _I_ had that, I wouldn’t throw it all away for someone I didn’t know.” It seemed to have really hit home that James had been right; he didn’t really know her at all, and she had been idealistic to expect him to stand with her when she wouldn’t have done the same for him.

            “Exactly. I feel kind of stupid now.”

            “I don’t want you to feel bad, or go ditching your friends or anything. This is just the way things work in school. I’ve seen it in muggle films. I was never upset with you personally, it was just them that bothered me. But I know where I want to go now.”

            “And where is that?”

            “I want to be myself, and I don’t think that should bother anyone else. I’m just going to go about my business as usual, but I won’t be putting up with anyone’s bullshit anymore.”

            “That sounds good. And if you’ll let me, could I perhaps be your friend?”

            Emilia was taken aback by him for the second time that evening. Remembering Natalie’s words, she frowned. “Why would you want to do that?”

            “Well…you’re really quiet and all, so I don’t really know anything about you. But you let me explain myself to you just now, and that’s pretty cool. And you read a lot, and you seem really clever, so I figure you’d be pretty interesting to talk to. I don’t know, you probably think I am just making this up.”

            “It does seem a little far-fetched.”

            “I suppose, what I’m trying to say is…I’m doing it as a favour to your brother. And I know that sounds shitty, but I really do admire you, and Will’s stopped the lot of us from getting expelled countless times. He said he thought it would be good if you could reconcile with some of us too. Even James has agreed to try and be nice, or, at least, not to go near you.”

            “Will really got him to do that?” She stared wide eyed.

            “Your brother has a lot of shit on us.”

            “I’ll be asking him about that later, I think,” Emilia managed a smirk as the Gryffindors reached the portrait of the fat lady. “Thank you for talking to me. I think it would be good to reconcile, even if it takes some time.”

            “I’m glad too. Have a good night, and I’ll see you tomorrow at breakfast.”

            Emilia waved, and followed the other fifth year girls up to their dorm room. It had been easy to talk to Fred. Something about that scared her. The first chance she got the next day, she would have to tell her father everything. He would know what to do.

            That night, as almost everyone lay peacefully in their bed, no dreams came to haunt her.


	9. A Step Forward

Emilia packed up her things and hurried from her Ancient Runes classroom. Her brother had Herbology before lunch and they had agreed to meet with their father in Greenhouse Five. Most students surged towards the Great Hall; Emilia had to fight her way through the crowded corridors just to make it into the courtyard and down to the greenhouses without getting trampled on.

            There were still a few students coming out of Greenhouse Five when she got there. Standing outside the door, her head slightly lowered, she hoped no one would spot her.

            “Hey, Emilia.” No such luck. She raised her head to see Fred smiling at her. “How come you weren’t in class?”

            “I took Ancient Runes so I’m in the other class.”

            “Oh right.” Danny, one of the other Gryffindor boys, stepped out of the greenhouse, giving Fred a little shove. “I’ll see you later.”

            He left with the rest of the Gryffindor boys, besides Casper, and before they were out of earshot, she could have sworn she heard James mocking laugh of, “What the hell was that?” but they were too far away for her to hear the response.

            “Emilia, you’re here. Come in.” Her father smiled.

            Greenhouses reminded her of home. Because of her father’s long-term enthusiasm for plants, she knew a fair bit about them, and felt comfortable amongst the leaves. A waving vine flicked her face as she entered the pleasantly warm greenhouse, making her giggle as she walked to where her brother was sitting. Pulling one of the stools out from under the wooden workbench, she swivelled to face her father.

            “Your brother seemed pretty concerned when he said you wanted to talk.”

            “I didn’t really give him a lot to go on.”

            Will reached over and squeezed her hand. “It’s okay. He won’t be mad.”

            Taking a deep breath, she began to reel everything off. Emilia told them about what had happened with James, the strange feeling inside of her, even the fact that she hadn’t had a dream the night before. All the while, her father looked at her, hanging onto every word with a slight frown on his brow, but never interrupted her. When she’d finished, neither her brother nor her father spoke for a minute or so.

            “I think this might be a reaction to you coming off your medication. You’ve been on them for so long that your body is probably getting used to the changes in the balance of your hormones.”

            “It does make sense.” Emilia dropped her gaze to her fiddling fingers. “But it felt like something more than that, like something far stronger than just imbalanced hormones. And what if it happens again? What do I do?”

            “I’ll send an owl to St Mungo’s and ask about what kind of side-effects you might expect. Your friends in Gryffindor know about what happened on the train, don’t they?”

            “Yes.”

            “Well, perhaps you could speak to, maybe Annie, about watching out for any signs of anger and having something to ground you if it happens again.”

            “I don’t know if I could ask that much of her. I only just started talking again.”

            “I’ve spoken to Fred,” Will said. “He feels really bad about how you’ve been treated, and I’m sure he’ll have his eye on you.”

            “What’s this? What does he mean, how you’ve been treated?” Neville stood, taking a step closer to them.

            Emilia heaved a deep sigh. She should have known that she couldn’t have kept it from her parents forever. “The reason I started to feel bad about myself was because of how people viewed me. I’m a teacher’s kid, I could snitch on people, and it’s not considered cool.”

            “But that doesn’t explain why your brother wasn’t treated like that.”

            “He’s friends with James and that, and no one can touch James because he’s Harry Potter’s son. And I didn’t want to tell you because you and Mr Potter are friends.”

            “So it was James that did this to you?”

            “Not just him, the other popular kids too. I’m not pretty like they are. You don’t get treated the same.”

            Neville didn’t look frustrated as she had expected, instead wiped away the tears that had begun to fall down her cheeks. He knelt down in front of her so that she couldn’t look away from his face. “I know that it feels like the be all and end all right now. I was bullied in my first few years of school because I wasn’t the greatest looking guy, and look at me now. I have the best family anyone could ever ask for. You are beautiful, and you will always be in my eyes.”

            “But you have to say that,” Emilia laughed a little through her tears.

            “Listen, anyone who tells you that you aren’t beautiful, well, they aren’t the kind of people you want to associate yourself with because they’re liars. It seems like you have some great friends, so stick with them. And as for James, and whoever else has been pushing you around, if they bother you again you’re going to have to stand up for yourself. I know it’ll be hard, but that is the one thing no one else can help you with.”

            “Like when you stood up to Voldemort?”

            Her father laughed. “Yes, something like that. But let’s try and refrain from hitting people, okay? It’s highly frowned upon, so even if James gave you good reason to, I wouldn’t hit him again.”

            “Okay, Dad.” She smiled, and turned to Will. “Thank you for coming with me.”

            “It’s no problem. And please come to me if you need anything. I don’t care if James or anyone tells you to go away. You’re always welcome to sit with me.”

            “Thanks.” Getting up, she gave her brother a hug.

            As she pulled away, he father put a hand on her head, stroking her hair. “I love you very much, sweetheart. You’re amazing and smart, and I am already so proud of you. I know you can do this.”

            She left the greenhouse with Will, leaving their father to tend to the plants. Neither said anything on the way to the Great Hall, because it felt like everything had already been said. As they entered the Hall, Annie got up from her seat and bounded up to them.

            “The Quidditch sign-up sheet is going up tonight, and you’re signing up.”

            “What? I thought Quidditch was cancelled this year. Why are they having trials?”

            “I don’t know, but Louis said that he’s putting the sheet up anyway and your name is going on it.”

            “Okay,” Emilia gave a quiet smile, knowing that she really didn’t have any other choice but to submit to Annie’s demands.

            “I’ll see you later, yeah?” Will nodded at her and went to sit with his friends.

            “How did it go?” her friend asked.

            “It went well. I feel better about things now. I just need to find something to ground me if I ever feel it again.”

            “We’ll figure something out. But for now, let’s go eat, and we’ll sort out our training schedule.”

            “For Quidditch? I thought you said you had faith in me.” Emilia feigned offence.

            “I do, but when was the last time you actually played Quidditch? Last year’s try-outs?” Emilia dropped her eyes. “I’m sure you’re still great. But with my help, you’ll be amazing by the time try-outs come around.”

            Nodding, Emilia followed Annie to where the other girls from Gryffindor were sitting, feeling that if she could make the Quidditch team this year, she could do anything.


	10. Quidditch

Emilia gripped her broomstick tight to keep her hands from shaking, and swallowed hard. Over the past couple of weeks, her practices with Annie had gone well and her physical memory had returned quickly. And yet she felt so nervous that she had skipped breakfast that morning in fear of throwing up. It didn’t help that most of the people who had turned up to the try-outs had already been on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and the rest were bright-eyed second-years, thirsty for a position in one of the few places one could gain fame at Hogwarts.

            “Just focus, okay?” Annie wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a little shake. “You’ve always been good, but you just get-”

            “Too anxious, I know. I think I’ll be okay this time.”

            “Well, I’m going to be right here with you, and Fred’ll be here as well.”

            “With James.”

            “Don’t you think about James. He’s not going to do anything, or else he’ll have me to answer to. And look,” Annie pointed up to the stands. “There’s Albus, and Lily, and your brother. Eve and Natalie should be here soon. Everyone believes you can do it this year.”

            “Hello ladies.” The two of them turned to see Fred approaching, with James and a boy with white-blonde hair.

            “Hey, Fred.” Annie gave Emilia’s hand a little squeeze and reached out to shake Fred’s. “Good luck today.”

            “You too. Though, we were so great on the team last year, they can hardly let us go.”

            “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” said the blonde boy. “I’m captain now, and in Quidditch, being family won’t do you any good. And I don’t care that there is no tournament; McGonagall said that there’ll definitely be some matches, maybe even against the visiting schools, and we’re winning every match we play in, no matter what.”

            “I’m surprised to see _you_ here,” James sniffed at Emilia’s shivering form. “Haven’t you failed try-outs for the past three years?”

            “Easy, James,” Annie warned, scowling.

            Emilia stared at the ground, almost wishing that the anger would take hold of her and tell James how she was going to make it this year. But convincing James meant that she would first have to convince herself.

            “I’ll be the judge of the team choices, James.” The blonde boy held out a hand to her. “I’m Louis Weasley, this year’s captain. Annie has spoken highly of you in the past. I’m sure you’ll do great today.”

            “It’s nice to meet you.” Emilia shook his hand, managing a smile.

            “What position are you going for?”

            Emilia was going to shake her head, not really knowing what she was strongest in, but Annie jumped in with an answer. “She’s pretty well rounded, and a good catch, but her arm is the best. She’d make a great Beater.”

            James scoffed, but fell silent under Annie’s glare. Louis gave her genuine smile. “I think your chances are better than you think. By the looks of these second-years, there could be spot open for you. Now let’s get started.”

            Emilia dropped her head again, her hair falling to hide her beaming smile. Louis seemed lovely, and he had done a good job in settling her nerves, if only a little. If she could just hold it together, something told her that she had a good chance of making it.

            “Alright,” Louis yelled over the chatter. “If you’d all like to quieten down. I’d like to remind you that just because you made the team last year, that does not guarantee you a place on the team this year. We will be doing a series of trails, one for each position, and these will give you the opportunity to show off your skills. We’ll start with the Seekers, but if everyone could get into the air for a warm up.”

            Tying her hair into a ponytail at the nape if her neck, Emilia mounted her broom and kicked off the ground. She soared into the sky, swooping across the pitch to curl around the back of the goal posts, and back towards the posts on the other end of the field in a figure of eight motion. After a few circuits, the players were asked to stop and retreat to the sides of the pitch so that the Seeker trial could begin.

            Many of the entries were second-years, small and nimble, with the latest models of broomstick. One girl stood out from the rest; she was very slight with short, mousy brown curls. Though the team wouldn’t be revealed until the end of the week, it was quite clear who would be chosen to be the Seeker.

            Next were the Beater trials. Although Emilia had gone up for Chaser for the past two years, Annie’s insistence that she was made for beating forced her to her feet and kicked off from the stands. A couple of second years, a boy who had been a Beater when she was in her third year, and James, who had held onto his position for the past three years, joined her in hovering opposite Louis in the middle of pitch.

            “Okay, what you have to do is simple. I’ll be releasing four Bludgers, and you have to make sure that they don’t hit me, or my assistant. Annie!” he shouted over to the stands. “They’ll be plenty for each of you to do, so don’t try and crowd each other. This is about showing your own skill, not sabotaging other people.”

            “Yes, caption?” Annie appeared at Louis’ side.

            “You’ll be dodging Bludgers, if you can do that.”

            “I’ll do my best.”

            Louis pointed his wand to the ground, and up rose five bats. Catching one in her left hand, Emilia waved it a little, getting a feel for the weight. With another flick of his wand, Louis released the Bludgers. The dangerous whoosh of the balls pelting towards them made Emilia heave up the front of her broom, rising and staying well clear of the Bludgers’ paths.

            Once she was high enough to view the entire pitch, she stopped to take a breath. Trying to remember everything that Annie had told her, Emilia took a few more deep breaths. _I can do this. I can do this,_ she thought over and over again until it was all she could hear. No wind, no cheers from the spectators, just those words.

            Leaning forwards slightly, Emilia flew back down to goal level. If she was going to get this position, she would have to show that she had more than just a good swing; she had to let Louis know that she was accurate as well. Swooping under a flailing second-year, she spotted a Bludger tailing a few metres behind Annie. Lining herself up with the left goal post, and between the ball and Annie, she held back her arm, ready to swing. For a moment, she thought she might feel the stirring in her chest, but with the adrenaline pumping through her, she realized that she wouldn’t need it.

            Gaging the distance carefully, she hit the Bludger full on with her bat and watched it fly through the hoop. The impact buzzed through her fingers, down her arm and into her shoulder. There were cheers from a group in the stands, but Emilia was too focused to look and see who it was because, before she could register where she needed to be, she spotted a black shape coming towards her. Readying herself, Emilia swung again, this time attempting to get the Bludger into the middle hoop.

            “It came from that Beater from a couple of years ago.” Annie came to hover beside her. “It looked like he was trying to take you out. But at least you got it in!”

            “It went in?” Emilia smiled. She had been too busy looking around for any other attacks to watch the result of her own shot.

            “Of course it did. You’re doing brilliantly.”

            As the two of them caught their breath, they observed the carnage that was the rest of the Beater try-outs. The Bludgers that Emilia had hit were nowhere to be seen, and whilst Louis reprimanded the Beater who had allegedly aimed a shot at her, there was another ball on its way behind him. But before it could get anywhere near him, James had skimmed the ground of the pitch and rocketed up to smash the Bludger sky high. It was a move that he was famous for and one that always pleased the crowds.

            Emilia wasn’t sure whether it was because he was a Potter, or that it was a particularly difficult shot, that people liked it so much. And as much as she hated to admit it, no matter how much she disliked everything else about him, she would have been a fool to deny that he was an excellent Quidditch player.

            But the repercussions of this particular move soon became clear to her. As James rubbed his upper arm, the Bludger came back into view, plummeting towards him at an alarming rate. Before she had time to think, Emilia’s body pushed forwards on her broom, shooting into the path of the Bludger. She smashed the ball into the sand on the right side of the pitch, but the sheer force of her blow caused her to fly over the front of her broom, and she hung by one hand fifty feet in the air.

            “You okay, Emilia?” Louis called up to her.

            “Yeah,” she managed to croak, beginning to swing her legs back and forth until she had enough momentum to fling herself back onto her broom.

            “Great,” Louis smiled. “Beater trials are over. Keepers, you’re up next.”

            Returning to Annie’s side briefly, Emilia wished her good luck and flew over to the stands where her brother and friends were now standing.

            “That’s was amazing!” Will barely let her find her feet before he pulled her into a hug.

            “Well done, Emilia,” Albus smiled.

            Emilia was so happy that she could have cried. Finally, her hard work seemed to be showing a little pay-off. But when James landed a little way along the stands, she turned away, though not dropping her smile. He hadn’t believe that she could be a Beater, and although it may not have been a good enough effort to get her a place in the team, she had proved him wrong. And for now, that was a good enough effort for her.

*

The following Saturday, towards the end of lunchtime, Emilia sat at the Ravenclaw table, with Kyle, Will and Annie.

            “You should have seen her!” Annie continued her highly overexaggerated recount of what had happened at the trials. “She swooped up and practically saved James’ life.”

            “It really wasn’t anything like that. I just wanted to get on the team,” Emilia blushed, squirming in her seat.

            “And it worked, didn’t it?”

            “I’m sorry I couldn’t see it.” Kyle bumped Emilia’s shoulder playfully. “I knew you’d make it this year. There must be some matches on that you can play in.”

            Emilia smiled again, and as she did, a trio of Slytherin girls came hurrying into the Great Hall. She watched discretely as the girl with wavy, golden-blonde locks stopped where James was sitting at Gryffindor’s table and placed her hands on his shoulders. Leaning over so her head was right next to his face, she said something to him. Emilia expected him to laugh or give her his signature grin as he usually would, but instead he only managed a half-smile and looked deep in thought.

            “What is she looking at?” One of the other two girls had glanced over and spotted her staring. Alice looked up from James and over at Emilia, who immediately surrendered her gaze, looking instead to the table.

            “Just ignore them,” but Annie’s eyes betrayed that she knew it wouldn’t help.

            “It’s just Pandora,” whispered Will. “She’s all talk but won’t ever do anything about it. Just don’t listen to her.”

            By this time, Pandora had strolled over to where the four of them were sitting, each click of her heel making Emilia wince. “You think that just because you made the team, you have the right to think yourself like us?”

            “Pan, please. She never said anything like that.”

            “Shut up, Will. You always were weak, too caring about this sorry little being. She’ll never change. She’ll always be that little parasite. No one wants her around, so she might as well just end it all and we’ll be better off.”

            Before Will could let the redness explode from his face, Alice spoke. “Enough,” she said, in a low, warning tone. “You don’t want to waste your time on her, Pan.”

            “But you can’t deny it, Alice.” Her voice dripped with silky slime. “Something is very wrong here. I wonder how it was the she ended up on the team. Perhaps Louis felt sorry for her.” Pandora leant over the table so that her face was level with Emilia’s. “Or maybe, she gave him something, begged on her _knees_ for him to choose her.”

            At this, Annie stood, grabbing hold of Pandora’s collar and stepping out of the bench. She was a good deal taller than Pandora was, and even over a metre away, Emilia could see the birth of fear in the Slytherin’s eyes. “You don’t get to say shit like that to her, you slut!”

            “Annie, don’t.” The mutters slipped from her lips before the hand could stop them. But now Emilia could feel the fingers crawling up and around her throat, tears stinging her eyes. She didn’t like seeing Annie like this, and what made things worse was that she was doing this for _her_. Thinking back on everything, all of the realizations that she’d had, all that her father had said, she knew that she couldn’t back out anymore. Will was already on his feet, but Emilia wouldn’t let him lose his friends because she wasn’t strong enough. “Let go of her,” she forced out. Reluctantly, Annie heaved a sigh and obliged.

            No sooner had she come out of the Gryffindor’s grip, Pandora’s face turned to scowl, and she spat some curses about Gryffindors not knowing their place. And that was all it took.

            The darkness curled inside her chest. The hand around her neck fell away. The fear was gone. Looking around the Great Hall, she saw that only the two parties, and a couple of staring stragglers we present. Pushing on the table, she rose to her feet. Then came the voice that wasn’t hers. “You won’t bother us again.” The words were feeble but the sound was strong.

            “Excuse me?” Pandora cocked her head to one side.

            “Are you deaf?” These words came out slowly. “I said, you won’t bother us again.”

            “Emilia, are you okay?” Kyle looked petrified.

            “Oh shit, it’s happening again.” Annie whispered, so that those at the other table couldn’t hear her. By this time, they were all staring at Emilia. The five Gryffindor boys, Alice, Pandora, and the third Slytherin, Faith McNulty, had their eyes fixed on the serious girl in front of them.

            “Emilia, I think we should go and see Dad.”

            But she ignored her brother, glaring directly at Pandora. Stepping out of the benches, she made her way over to her, treading much like a hunter would as it approaches a deer. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, I might be good enough to be on the Quidditch team?”

            “What are you doing?” Pandora backed up, pulling her wand from her robes. “Do you want to duel? Is that it?”

            “Pan, stop it now.” Alice’s stern voice made Pandora’s attempts sound like a mere mouse in comparison.

            “Of course.” She turned to her friend. “If anyone should do it, it should be you.”

            As soon as Pandora had backed down, Emilia expected the stirring to subside, allowing her control of her body and voice again. But instead, it weaved its way into her hand, pulling her wand from her sock, accepting the challenge for her.

            “Come on, Alice. It’s just a little sob-story. You could take her.”

            Alice swallowed, piercing her lips together in discomfort. But with Pandora and the Gryffindor boys now staring at her expectantly, she bit her bottom lip and produced her wand. Raising it towards Emilia, she backed into the centre aisle. By now, the rage was flowing through Emilia like the blood in her veins. Striding to stand opposite Alice, she stared her down with blazing fury in her eyes.

            “You don’t have to do this.” Annie hurried forwards. But the thing inside her didn’t even allow Emilia to move her head and acknowledge Annie’s presence behind her. Part of her wanted to fight against it, to keep her sanity and prevent Alice from getting anything more serious than a slap in the face. However, a greater part of her wanted to see just how far it would take her, and what she was really capable of. The only people who existed in the world were Alice and herself.

            “Serpensortia.” A king cobra shot out of Alice’s wand, slithering its way towards Emilia.

            Even without the heat of her rage, Emilia did not fear snakes. A typical move from her former friend, she thought, never wanting to get her own hands dirty. “Incendio!” the voice from within commanded, and the cobra melted into nothingness in the flames.

            Alice looked up at her, watching carefully for her next move. With every breath, the anger was gaining more and more control, but before she could even fully raise her wand, the blonde girl screamed, covering her face in panic. “Stupify!”

            Emilia shot backwards, taking the full force of the spell. She landed on the platform where the teachers’ table stood, cold stone against her face. Her vision and hearing turned hazy, so that she could scarcely register Annie firing hexes in her stead or see who had sent her brother flying with a curse. Will’s body fell limp against the steps a couple of metres away from her, his head smacking against the stone and a little blood beginning to trail down his face.

            She tried to reach out to her brother, but somebody was blocking her view. As her vision cleared, she saw that Kieran and Danny, two of the Gryffindor boys, had rushed to her brother’s aid.

            “Hey, hey. He’s going to be okay. Alright, we’re going to get you both to the hospital wing.” Fred touched the side of her face, taking her hand in an attempt to help her up. But she shoved him away and got slowly to her feet. There was only one way for this to end with her victory, so she stopped fighting it.

            For a moment, her vision went completely black, and when it returned, it did so with a black haze framing everything that she saw. She didn’t feel pain or sickness, as she should have done. Her whole body boiled with a rage she never knew she had. The monster cried out in her mind, thirsty for blood.

            “Emilia, stop! It’s not worth it!” Fred called after her.

            “Shut up!” Her voice had never sounded so little like her own. It was low, bellowing. “You don’t know anything! You don’t know what I went through!” Practically throwing Annie out of the way, she pointed her wand at the now petrified Slytherin. Alice shook violently, but seemed unable to move from where she stood. Emilia could see her mouth moving, muttering words that she couldn’t hear. For all she knew it was a jinx that would only cause her more pain.

            “You have to stop this.” Annie was at her side once more. “You could get into trouble.”

            “Oh really?” The voice turned shrill as the monster twisted Emilia’s head to look at Annie. “Let me ask you something.” She turned back to Alice and began a menacingly deliberate walk towards the unmoving girl. “What do you think could be worse than being told you aren’t good enough, being drugged up until you feel completely numb, not being able to speak to your own brother because some pathetic group of people have decided that because you’re the teacher’s daughter, you’re not good enough to be associated with them? And of course, with Mr Potter’s protecting wing over my brother, you couldn’t possibly treat him the way you treated me. All of you are completely pathetic, bowing to the whims of the son of the Chosen One and his sickening little girlfriend.” Emilia stopped an arms-length away from Alice, her wand touching the centre of her chest. “I can’t believe I ever even wanted to be in group with you guys.”

            “P-please. I swear, we’ll leave you alone.”

            “Oh,” her voice lowered to a whisper. “I’ll make sure of that.” She leaned in closer so that her face was just a few inches from Alice’s. She smirked. “Sectumsempra.”


	11. Dark Forests and Darker Secrets

Alice let out an ear piercing scream. Her body fell like a rag doll and lay quivering on the stone floor. Gashes whipped themselves across her legs, arms and torso. Slipping her wand back into the her sock, Emilia was about to step back and admire her work when she noticed something black on her hands.

            She held them in front of her face, turning them as her skin became an inhuman purple-black. It began to shine, scales rippling onto it, sending tingles down her nerves as it did so. She pushed up her sleeves, watching as the darkness spread and moulded into her clothes. Her spine arched forwards quite suddenly, causing her to curl over as her shoulder blades seemed to unfold. Looking back at her hands, she saw her finger nails grow into black claws.

            Something grabbed onto her arm as it seemed like the floor was falling further away from her. Her feet were still on the ground, but they weren’t her feet anymore. There were huge, black, scaled and clawed. Stepping out to keep her balance, Emilia accidently crushed the end of Gryffindor table. She felt something behind her. Whipping her head around, she saw that spikes were running down her back and extended into a long tail, ending with a black arrow that had knocked over a few of the chairs at the teachers’ table. Raising her hands once more, she traced her head from her horns to the end of her snout.

            For the first time since it had begun, her anger seemed to wane. She had become a monster. Her friends had dispersed to the other end of Great Hall, as had the other students. As soon as the creature inside of her allowed to slightest trail of fear to seep into her conscious mind, she raised her beastly head to the rafters and cried out.

            And then she fell silent.

            It was the same sound she had been hearing in her dreams for the past three years. A roar of anguish, of agony, and of fear. Watching as her friends pressed their backs against the doors of the Great Hall, she wondered how she hadn’t seen this coming. The anger hadn’t won by crushing her; she had been the one to let it take control. And now she had to suffer the consequences.

            Unable to stand the sight of her friends’ reaction, Emilia threw up her shoulder blades, which had become razored, black wings, and lifted herself into the air. She crashed through the stained-glass window at the front of the Hall and soared over the vast expanse of the Black Lake, shaking the shards of glass from her face.

            Only then did she register that something still clung to her arm. Looking down, Emilia saw a boy dangling from her front leg. His face was paler than usual and free of the long, black locks that would have covered his forehead had her speed not been whipping them backwards. So alarmed by the fact that, of all people, James Sirius Potter was hanging from her rough, dark scales, she dropped a few metres as she reached the other side of the lake.

            Trees clipped and scratched at her drooped tail. Though what she felt now was far more fear than anger, Emilia still had half a mind to violently shake James off and let him take the fall to the forest floor. Only the thought of being seen as more of a monster than she already was stopped her.

            Eying a clearing a little to her right, Emilia angled her wings downwards and descended onto the grass. Much as a muggle plane extends its landing gear on an approach to a runway, she stretched out her hind legs and clawed for a grip on the ground. Grass and soil flew as she skidded, twisting around so that her back was what crashed into the trees on the other side of the clearing.

            Exhaustion flooded her body. What little energy she had left, she used to lean forwards, extend her ‘arm’ and set a shaking James softly on the chewed-up ground. Emilia lay back down, and stayed still until she felt herself becoming smaller. Her throat began to close up, getting tighter and tighter with ever second. All of the fear that had been growing inside of her became more compact. Soon feeling the inability to breath, she began to hyperventilate. Pulling herself onto her hands and knees, and watching the last of the scales disappear from her skin, she let tears fall onto the dirt beneath her hands. Her elbows buckled under the weight of her heaving shoulders and the thoughts that had ruptured her mind, and she fell to lie on her side.

            What had happened to her? She had made it to the team, she had everything. Alice had promised to leave her alone but she had still let the monster take over. What would her friends think? Would even Annie want to be around her after this? However much she squeezed her eyes shut, she could see the look of disappointment on her father’s face. It was as if everything she had worked for was slipping through her fingers like sand.

            A wave of nausea washed over her. Though she had returned completely to her human form, her throat still seemed to be closing up. Her rapid breaths turned into coughs, each one tearing at the inside of her dry throat.

            “Emilia?” A voice, seemingly emerging from a distance, carried over the coughing. “Emilia?” Something touched her shoulder.

            She opened her eyes, only for the tears to continue their course. The attack was beginning to subside, and soon she felt numb. Staring dead ahead at the splayed piles of soil, Emilia could not find the energy to acknowledge James, who was crouching over her, even if she wanted to. The two of them remained still for the next minute or so.

            Finally moving, Emilia placed a hand on James’ shoulder and pushed him away from her as she got to her feet. Unspeakably embarrassed, she walked a few paces from the boy, standing with her back to him.

            “What the hell was that?” James sounded as breathless as she should have been, but her minded had sharpened, and the last dribbles of anger were for James, and him alone.

            “Do you think I’d be here if I knew?” Though she had full control of her body, the serious voice of the stirring anger was somewhat comforting. “Why are you here? Why couldn’t you have just let go?” Emilia still couldn’t turn to face him.

            “I was just making sure you were okay.” Using attitude to hide his lie wasn’t good enough to fool Emilia. She whipped round and let her body reject the last remnants of her anger.

            “Exactly how many favours do you owe my brother? I’m sure he’ll appreciate that you played the hero, sacrificing yourself to save to poor, _helpless_ damsel in distress. Then you can walk back into Hogwarts, the hero who defeated the beast!”

            “Will has done a lot for us; he’s put up with our shit and has saved us from getting expelled more times than I can count. But I suppose, you wouldn’t understand what it’s like to have friends you can rely on, or friends at all.”

            “As if I would ever believe that your intentions were anything close to noble. You’re only here to keep your reputation in check. Stop trying to be like your father because, despite what you just saw, I’m not the monster, James.” She took a couple of strides towards him, so that there was barely an inch between them, and glared up into his eyes. “ _You_ are.”

            And with those words, Emilia felt all of the anger she bore for him fall away. Nothing threatened to strangle her; nothing stirred in her chest. Relaxing her eyes, her shoulders, and her hands, she stepped back and was finally able to look upon him with indifference. “I’m not helpless, James.” Her voice now carried no traces of aggression or condescension, but was calm, peaceful as she felt. “You didn’t think I could be a Beater, yet I made it onto the team. You thought I was dependant, and I found it in myself to stand up to the people who hurt me. But you were right about something.”    

            “And what is that?” James seethed through gritted teeth, his face the picture of a storm.

            “You were never friends with me at all. You had no loyalty to me, and it was stupid of me to assume that you would choose me over people you actually knew.” Emilia then turned away from him and began clambering carefully over to the other side of the clearing.

            “What the hell is wrong with you?” James almost bellowed. At this, Emilia stopped, only turning her head as much as she needed to see James in her peripheral vision. “You start a fight with Alice, you turn into a dragon, you scare me half to death with your panic attack, you call me a monster, and then just walk away. What the hell is wrong with you? What kind of drugs to they have you on? And don’t think I’ve forgotten about that slap on the train. Like, where did that even come from?”

            Emilia waited for the punch in her stomach, the sting of tears, but neither came. “I have made my peace with you. You won’t bother me anymore because you’re afraid that I will hurt you like I did Alice. But I’ve made me peace with her too, and the rest.” Then she added, a little more matter-of-factly than before, “Now I can do what you’ve always wanted, and leave you alone. I don’t imagine this will last, and soon I won’t be able to talk to you or any of your friends again. You don’t have to worry about me ruining your lives anymore.”

            “I’m not _afraid_ of you!”

            “And I’m not afraid of you.”

            “Can you just stop being so calm about all of this?”

            “You really do like telling people what to do, don’t you? I am sure there’s an explanation for this. My father will know what to do.”

            “You’re going to go back through the forest all by yourself?” James seemed to have calmed himself a little bit.

            “I’m the pathetic whelp, remember? You just want me to leave you alone.” Pulling her wand from her sock, she placed it onto her flattened palm. “Point me,” she uttered. The wand shifted to point to her right. Crossing the uneven ground, she passed under the canopy of trees without a single glance back at James.

            As expected, the spell led her to the edge of the Black Lake, and Hogwarts came into view. If she just followed the edge of the lake around to the point where she was closest to Hogwarts, she would be able send a signal into the air and alert someone to her position. Being outside the trees also had its advantages; many of the dangerous creatures that lurked in the forest were unlikely to come out into the daylight.

            Emilia had been walking for less than half an hour before she heard something move behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted James stumbling just inside the line of trees at the edge of the forest, a good few metres behind her. Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, she continued walking along the muddy bank. Soon, she too had to move a little into the trees as the bank had become too steep to walk on without fear of falling into the lake.

            It took over an hour for the two of them to reach the side of the Forest that was closest to the castle. All the while, Emilia had been trying to think of ways that she could explain herself to her father and to the Headmistress, and tried to block all thoughts of peer judgement from her mind. Staring up at the, now fixed, window of the Great Hall, Emilia took the last look at Hogwarts she could where she could pretend that none of this had happened. She then raised her wand and shot red sparks into the air.

*

Emilia sat straight in a chair opposite Professor McGonagall’s desk. She bit her lip and fiddled with her fingers. The remnants of her brief tearful outburst still stung her eyes.

            “I never expected to be having this kind of conversation with you, Miss Longbottom.” Emilia didn’t reply, just stared at her knees. “As for you Mr Potter,” the headmistress turned to James, who was slouching in the chair next to Emilia. “I wonder that I should be welcoming you back!”

            Emilia jumped at the sound of the door opening and closing, the boom echoing in the large office. “I’m sorry for being later, Professor.” Her father strode up to McGonagall’s desk.

            Standing to greet him, Emilia only looked into his eyes to croak, “Is Alice okay?” before she became unable to bear to softness of them. They had the same eyes, but now she knew that the person behind hers could never become anything like her father.

            “She’s fine, sweetheart. Really shaken up, but her injuries were easily cured.” His voice was as soft as the look he gave her.

            “And Will?”

            “Fine as well. He’s worried about you.” Emilia nodded, taking her seat once more. “Are you alright, sweetheart?” She shook her head slightly.

            “I think, Professor Longbottom, if we talk this through, we will be able to get to the root of the problem,” McGonagall suggested.

            “Take as much time as you need to explain everything.” Neville placed a hand on Emilia’s shoulder. “There is no rush.”

            Feeling James’ impatient presence next to her, she realized that she didn’t want to say everything in front of him. “Well, I was just sitting with my friends, and then something happened that made me really mad. I don’t really know what came over me. Anyway, I ended up in a duel with Alice; I think one of her friends pushed her into.”

            “It was Pandora.” Three heads turned at James’ nonchalant statement. “I get that you don’t want to snitch, but I will. Pandora started saying things to her, and Annie got mad. Then Pan managed to get Alice to duel her.”

            “Thank you, Mr Potter,” McGonagall sighed, then gestured for Emilia to continue.

            “I could tell that she didn’t want to do it, but at the time I didn’t care. I just wanted to win. I supposed part of me wanted her to hurt the way I did. But she’s too popular for that, so I could only hurt her physically. And then something happened with Will got cursed.”

            “That was Pandora as well,” James chipped in.

            “I couldn’t think of anything else but hurting her. I’m afraid that when I cast that curse, I meant it. And after that…”

            “She turned into a big-ass dragon.”

            “That’s enough, Mr Potter,” McGonagall said, sternly. “So that’s when you flew out into the Forest.”

            “Yes. I turned back into…me…soon after we landed. I was pretty shaken up still, and still a little angry. But I just wanted to come back to the castle.”

            “Alright. Thank you, Miss Longbottom. Mr Potter, could you please give your version of events, particularly after you left the Great Hall.”

            “After Will went down, Annie stepped in and forced Pan to back down. I don’t think any of us really knew what was going on when Emilia got up. She looked really different. And when she cursed Alice…” James gave Emilia an awkward sideways glance.

            She wasn’t sure if this was why she said what she said next. Perhaps it was because she felt she was level with James now, or perhaps she felt sorry that he had been caught up in her trauma.

            “Because Will wasn’t there, James was just making sure that I was okay. That’s why he stuck will me when I flew out into the Dark Forest; he wanted to make sure I got back safely…for Will’s sake.” Out of the corner of her eye, she could see James nodding as sincerely as he could.

            Seeming to understand that either she wasn’t going to get another honest word out of James, or Emilia was going to try and cover for him, also for Will’s sake, the headmistress dismissed him and didn’t speak a word until James was long gone. “Miss Longbottom, I hope you understand that for safety reasons, your father has informed me of your present condition.”

            “Yes, of course.”

            “And that leads me to understand that this is likely a reaction to you being off your previous medication. However, your father has said that it may be something else.” The two of them turned to Neville, Emilia raising her eyebrows, heart in her throat.

            “When you first went to St Mungo’s, after first year, the doctors put you on some initial medication which they thought would help your self-esteem. But they also told us about something else, something we hadn’t heard about since you were born. There was something inside of you, a magic of sorts, that might develop over your teenage years. It was the kind of quality shown by those who are particularly gifted or inclined towards the Animagus ability. But there was something different about it, something they didn’t quite understand, so they gave you medication that would suppress it.”

            “I don’t understand. Is there something wrong with me?” Emilia felt the threat of tears. “Since I was born, and you never mentioned it?”

            “No! No, of course not. The doctors were just unsure. When your mother and I decided to gradually take you off your medication, we weren’t sure about what would happen either. After you told me about your outburst on the train, I sent a letter to St Mungo’s, like I said I would, and they got back to me with some developments. It turns out that this _thing_ is likely the result of Dark Arts.” Seeing his daughters petrified face, Neville quickly continued. “It’s alright though, don’t worry. It only seems to be triggered when you get angry, and there are ways to treat that.”

            “No,” Emilia said, firmly. “I’m not going back onto any sort of medication. I’ll just have to find ways not to become so angry. And besides, I think I have dealt with everything I have to be mad about.”

            “There is one more thing.” McGonagall’s voice sounded distasteful. “The Ministry chemists have recently developed a serum of sorts that is supposed to evoke certain abilities from people. They wish to register those with potential or development of particular abilities, such as the Sight and Legilimency, from a younger age, and so we don’t get things like illegal Animagi. Hogwarts was instructed to give this serum to its students so that they may be registered. I’m afraid that over this past week, it has been laced in your food and drink. That might have been what tipped you over the edge.”

            “That makes sense.” Neville perched on the corner of McGonagall’s desk, but stood back up quickly under her sharp eyes. “This is a lot too take in. Emilia, do you want to go back to your dorm and have a rest? I think that would be good for you.”

            Standing, she gave a slow nod. “But what about my punishment? I duelled outside of a classroom environment, I damaged school property, and I attacked a student with malicious intent.”

            With a rare chuckle, McGonagall turned to Neville. “Did you read the Hogwarts’ Rulebook to your children instead of fairy tales when they were young?” Looking back at Emilia, she said, “I will not be issuing any formal punishment due to your current state. You are not one to break rules. We listen before we point the wand, Miss Longbottom, perhaps something that might help you. You may go.”

            “Thank you, Professor.”

            “I’ll see you later, Emilia.” Her father patted her shoulder. “If you need anything else, don’t hesitate.”

            Closing the office door behind her, Emilia slowly descended the spiral stairs guarded by the stone gargoyle, her head heavy with thoughts. She was so lost in her own head that she walked straight past the small huddle of students standing around the entrance to the headmistress’ quarters.

            “Emilia! What happened? Are you okay?” Will caught onto her arm, and she spun around. “What did they say?”

            Annie pushed Will out of the way, throwing her arms around Emilia. “Oh, you scared me half to death!” Her voice was raspy, like she had been crying. “When you flew out, I thought we’d lost you for good. They didn’t expel you, did they?” Pulling away, Annie held onto Emilia’s shoulders. “Because if they did, I can march right up there and sort them right out!”

            Emilia couldn’t help but smile, shaking her head. “My dad said that I should rest, so I’m going back to the dorms.”

            “Okay, I’ll walk with you.”

            “Did they say anything else, about what might have caused it?”

            Emilia opened her mouth to answer Will’s question, when she spotted James standing a little behind him with Fred. Closing her mouth, she shook her head again. “Nothing I don’t already know.”

            “Alright. Well, get some rest, and I’ll see you at dinner, yeah?”

            “Yeah,” Emilia smiled.

            As she walked with Annie in the direction of Gryffindor tower, her friend turned to her, smirking. “There is something else, isn’t there?”

            With the slightest tilt of her head, but her eyes never leaving the path ahead, she replied, “I’ll tell you when we get to the dorms.”


	12. The Goblet of Fire

“Guys, hurry up. We’re gonna be late.” Fred hammered his fist on the door to the girl’s dorm room.

            It had been almost a week since the incident and, though it was Hogwarts and no secret stayed a secret for long, the whispers were beginning to silence. Emilia didn’t so much mind that she could transform into a dragon (a Hebridean Black, as Rose Weasley had informed her) anymore; she knew how to deal with that. But Kyle had not said a word to her since it had happened. Perhaps he was afraid of her, perhaps he didn’t want to deal with any future outbursts; she wasn’t sure.

            Though she would never care to admit it, Emilia did visit the hospital wing once before Alice had been released, after a couple of days recovering. The blonde girl had been asleep, her childish expression reminded Emilia of that which she had seen in Diagon Alley before she first came to Hogwarts. She had left a fresh bunch of flowers in the vase next to Alice’s bed, but no note in fear the girl would become angrier with her than she, no doubt, already was.

            As for James, given Fred’s new-found fondness of Emilia, and the reluctance of his friends in Gryffindor and Slytherin to go anywhere near her, his behaviour was, to say the least, uncomfortable. Emilia understood that he wanted nothing do to with her, and thus she often went out of her way to avoid him, but it wasn’t easy when James clearly preferred the company of Will and Fred to his other gossiping companions.

            Dragging Annie away from the mirror, Emilia opened the door to the dorms and pulled her friend down to the Common Room behind Fred.

            “Where have you two been?” Natalie raised an eyebrow.

            “Annie is worried that she’s going to look like crap compared to the Beauxbaton girls, and then no one will ask her to the Ball.”

            “You’re joking, right? You’re Oliver Wood’s daughter! I’m pretty sure that Quidditch fans are going to be throwing themselves at your feet,” Eve laughed.

            “Oh, of course. Fame, one; looks and personality, zero,” Annie groaned.

            “Come on, or else we’ll be late.”

            The fifth year Gryffindors traipsed in a pack through the castle and down to the Great Hall. Most of the student body had already gathered inside. The flames had been darkened, throwing an eerie shadow over the Hall. Finding their places at Gryffindor table, the group sat down and waited for the headmistress to stand.

            “Students of Hogwarts, as you know, this year we will be the host of the Triwizard Tournament. This means, of course, that we shall also be playing host to the other Wizarding schools who will be competing in the Tournament. Will you please join me in welcoming the students of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.” Professor McGonagall threw up her arms towards the doors of the Great Hall.

            The doors flew open, and in paraded a troupe of students dressed in blue silk robes, which rippled delicately as they flew up the centre aisle between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables. Following them was the tallest woman that Emilia had ever seen. She was very thin, and wore elegant robes from head to toe.

            “I told you there were all beautiful, and the boys are just as pretty!” Annie hissed in her ear, making her snicker.

            The Beauxbatons lined up in front of the teachers’ platform, swept an arm and their robes to one side, and bowed low before the students of Hogwarts. McGonagall stepped forward to greet Madame Maxime with a genuine smiled, however the embrace seemed a little forced. The Hall rippled with quiet chatter as Beauxbaton students flashed perfect smiles and went to sit in the space provided at the to top of Ravenclaw table.

            The headmistress returned to her podium and held up her hands for silence. “And now, we shall welcome the students of Durmstrang.”

            Without so much as a flick of her wrist, the doors opened of their own accord, once more to reveal a squadron of handsome, stone-faced, boys. Some had beards, others did not. Behind them followed the girls, and even their faces were stern, seemingly hardened by the cold winds of the North. They strode majestically into the Hall, not once looking at the students of Hogwarts. It was as if they had been told to look as terrifyingly brooding as possible.

            The headmaster of Durmstrang caught Emilia’s eye long before anyone else turned to look at him. He looked almost too young to be a teacher, but though his face was boyish, it looked beaten and intelligent, his long black hear swept back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. However, the most notable feature had to be his black lips, standing out against his pale skin; they were thin, to match his nose and face. He kept a fair way behind his students, perhaps afraid of their heavy strides.

            Emilia’s eyes never left his figure as he slunk, much like a fox, up to the front of the Great Hall to greet Professor McGonagall. She caught his tight face stretch into a smile, as the Durmstrang students bowed as the Beauxbatons had to the Hogwarts’ student body and went to sit in the space at Slytherin table.

            McGonagall stepped back up to the podium. “I hope that our guests will be comfortable in their home for this year, and I trust that the students of Hogwarts will be helpful and welcoming to them.” As the headteachers of the guest schools took their seats at the high table, McGonagall gestures to a woman, in her early thirties, sitting at the end of the teacher’s table who stood and gave a cheery wave to the student body. “Regina Harold is the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and she will be overseeing the Tournament and making sure everything runs smoothly. Now, due to the events of the last Tournament, and the Ministry’s focus on challenging young students, and entertainment value, the age for those who are able to enter to Tournament has been raised. This year, no student under the age of sixteen will be allowed to enter.” Where Emilia expected a groan from some of the students over fourteen – the age requirement for the last Tournament – there was dead silence. Everyone had seen what has happened to the poor Beauxbatons boy last time; it didn’t seem so unfair as it might have done if nothing had gone wrong.

            The caretaker, an aging woman with bright white hair, appeared at the head of the Hall, her wand raised to levitate the large object floating down the centre aisle. Stopping it just in front of McGonagall’s podium, she set it down gently and withdrew to the side of Hall. The entirety of the student body stared, some with mouths wide open in awe. The object looked very much like a tiered cake that one might see at a wedding, but made entirely of silver and bronze. It was gilded with patterns and markings, each tier telling a different story. McGonagall slipped down to stand next to it, eliciting a gasp from the spectators as she tapped the top of the object with her wand, and the metal just seemed to melt away. Underneath the casing was a large cup, which was far less impressive, though it stood proudly, the melted casing draped like a shining table cloth on the stand.

            “This is the Goblet of Fire!” she announced with a fierce look in her eyes. A swift jet of pale blue fire sprang up from the goblet, throwing of a halo of eerie light across the faces of the students sitting closest to it. “Those of you who wish to enter need only write your name on a slip of paper and place it into the Goblet. I will be drawing an age line around it so that any underage attempts to enter,” McGonagall looked sternly over her glasses, “will only result in unfortunate consequences. One student from each school, that the Goblet deems a worthy Champion, will be chosen on the 31st of October. Those of you who are over sixteen have until then to make your choice. It is an honour to be chosen to represent your school, but if this honour falls on you, then you must stand alone. Please, take this into consideration. Now, let us enjoy our banquet to welcome our guests.”

            “Emilia?” Annie tugged on Emilia’s arm as food filled the platters in front of them. “Earth to Emilia,” she said, clicking her fingers next to her friend’s ears.

            But Emilia was transfixed by the fire. Her birthday was on Halloween, the day of the Champions’ reaping. Even though she would have to wait until the very last second, she would be old enough to enter the Tournament. What would happen if she did? Would she be chosen? No, that seemed impossible. Of all the students in Hogwarts, there was no way she could be worthy of such an honour. And her mind wondered, until she was lost in an impossible world where she could finally put her past failures behind her and become someone she could be proud of.

            “Emilia!” Fred clapped his hands in front of her face. Snapping out her trance, she shook her head and looked at him blankly. “Are you alright? I thought we’d lost you for a moment.”

            Emilia forced a smile, quickly pushing her irrational thoughts the back of her mind. After all, her father would never let her do it anyway. That world suddenly seemed miles away. She spooned a few carrots onto her plate, and tried to forget her wonderful delusions.


	13. October

The days in October were flying by, and getting colder, the skies growing grimmer. Many members of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons had placed their names in the Goblet of Fire, as well as a few of the 6th and 7th years by the end of the first week. Emilia had seen students arguing with their friends, convincing each other to put their names in, even just for a laugh.

            But she knew that, in the end, it was no laughing matter. People had died, the Beauxbaton boy from five years ago had come out with mental scars that would not easily heal. If she was ever to enter, it would not be on something as flimsy as a dare.

            “Would you enter, I mean, if you were old enough?” Eve asked no one in particular, as the girls were getting into bed one night in mid-October.

            “I wouldn’t!” Natalie stated. “Gryffindor or not, it’s a suicide mission if you ask me.”

            “I might, though I’m not so clever, so I probably wouldn’t be able to perform under the pressure,” Annie laughed to herself. Reaching over with her foot, she nudged Emilia’s mattress. “What about you, Emilia?”

            “I’m trying to sleep. We have Quidditch practice tomorrow and a game on Saturday,” she grumbled.

            “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it at all,” Eve sat up slightly.

            “I don’t know. I kind of agree with Natalie; it’s like a suicide mission, especially for a younger student.”

            “Yeah, I don’t think anyone our age will be in any hurry to enter,” said Natalie.

            Emilia closed her eyes, trying to block out the continuing conversation. In truth, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about putting her name into that Goblet. But, even if it seemed impossible for her to be chosen, what would her family and friends think of the fact that she had put herself at risk? Especially considering what she had been through for the past couple of years. Willing sleep to take her, she pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind.

*

_She stood on a train platform. It didn’t have a number, nor were there any trains or people standing by. She was alone._

_The walls and concrete floors were a grim greyish-green. The air was cold, a sickening fog hanging in it, even with the lack of trains. There was a sudden breath of wind on the back of her neck, making the fog billow around her. She twisted her head sharply, but there was nothing there._

_When she turned back, she saw the man. He was dressed the same black suit, his hair slicked back, pulling the skin against the stark bones of his face. His eyes were sallow and black, and they just stared at her._

_Emilia had no idea why she was afraid. After all, it was just a man. His look made her warily, but it didn’t seem as though he was going to harm her._

_This was the dream that had never felt like her own. She was afraid, but she didn’t understand why. It was as though someone else was projecting their fears onto her._

_Her body shook with unspeakable terror, and she stumbling backwards, falling the ground. The man did not move, neither to attack her, or help her up. She tried to shuffle backwards, but her palms and forearms stuck to the platform. Her breath shortened. She scrunched up her eyes and prayed for an escape._

Emilia awoke with a start. Her stomach turned and she lurched forward. Swinging herself out of bed and flying to the bathroom, she wrenched over the toilet, but nothing came. After a worrying moment or two, she slowly got to her feet.

            Before she made it to the window beside her bed, she heard something from outside the dorm room; the soft creak of a floorboard, the heavy breathing of a boy, someone she recognized but, in her hazy state, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. The boy made his way down the Common Room, and Emilia continued to the window.

            The freezing air washed into the dorm, causing a couple of the other girls to stir in their sleep. After a few minutes, Emilia closed the window and climbed back into bed. It wasn’t difficult for her to fall back into a slumber, hoping that no more dreams would come that night.

*

“How are you feeling?” Louis walked over to where Emilia was sitting.

            “Sick,” she scoffed.

            “You’ll be fine. And if you’re unsure of anything, just ask James.”

            She couldn’t help but scoff again. Tossing the bat between her hands, she lifted her eyes to where James was sitting, on the other side of the Gryffindor tent. He was already looking at her, but looked away as soon she caught his gaze. “Actually, you’re right. I think I’ll be okay.” Louis smiled and left her.

            Emilia looked around the tent. She saw Annie and Fred chatting excitedly, psyching themselves up before the match. Emilia didn’t have so much as an inkling that they really spoke to each other until the Quidditch try-outs, and would never have thought that they were this close. A weighted guilt settled in the pit of her stomach; had her conflict with James and the others really kept Annie from being friends with Fred?

            “Excuse me?” The dainty young Seeker appeared next to her.

            Emilia turned to her, trying to smile. “Yes?”

            “You’re Professor Longbottom’s daughter, aren’t you?”

            “Yes, I’m Emilia.”

            “Isabelle Dursley, it’s nice to meet you.”

            “What’s up?”

            “I’m really nervous,” she smiled, weakly, sitting down on the bench next to Emilia. “I wasn’t expecting a match to happen so soon. I don’t think I’m ready.”

            “Yeah, the season doesn’t usually start until November, but obviously there won’t be a season this year. Louis says that we’re playing a couple of friendly matches just for the visiting schools. Ravenclaw will be playing Slytherin next weekend. Don’t worry. The scores don’t count for anything. Just try and enjoy yourself, and think of it as practice for next year.”

            “You think I’ll be in the team next year?”

            “You’re the best Seeker I’ve seen at Hogwarts so far.”

            “Thanks.” Isabelle smiled sheepishly. “It’s just that being the Seeker seems like a huge responsibility. I mean, James, Louis and Michael seem to take things pretty seriously, like their reputation is on the line.”

            “Quidditch is pretty important to them, but Louis is the captain. If anyone should be concerned with how you play, it’ll be him, and he’s meant to coach you, not put you down.”

            “Yeah, okay. I’m not great at magic, so I was pretty surprised that I made the team.”

            “I saw you in the trials; you were fantastic! I didn’t make it to the team three years running, and here I am.” She couldn’t help but smile. “You’ll be fine.”

            “Alright, team! The match is about to start.” Louis stood at the entrance to the tent. “Don’t go slacking just because this is a friendly. Hufflepuff won’t be showing any mercy.”

            “You’ll do great,” Emilia whispered, squeezing Isabelle’s shoulder.

            As they exited the tent, she wondered whether she could take her own advice. The seven of them lined up in the tunnel at the bottom of the Quidditch pitch. Isabelle stood next to Annie, Emilia standing next to James just behind them.

            “You keep your eyes on Annie and the Seeker, I’ll handle the rest.”

            “Don’t worry, I won’t get in your way,” Emilia replied with a monotonous tone, not even turning to look at James. Her father would be watching and, after everything that had happened, recently and in the far past, she wanted to make him proud.

            The match was almost a complete whitewash. Neither Annie or James would let any of the Hufflepuff Chasers anywhere near their goals. But this didn’t matter so much because of the brilliant show Isabelle had put on right from the start. Emilia had only just smashed a Bludger in the direction of the Hufflepuff Keeper when it was announced that the Gryffindor Seeker had caught the Snitch.

            Swooping down, she landed on the ground of the pitch. Emilia almost fell as Annie jumped on her, screaming in her ear. She laughed aloud, twisting to give Annie a proper hug. Isabelle came bounding up to them, still holding the little golden ball.

            “I did it!” She jumped up and down, excitedly.

            “I knew you would,” Emilia smiled, pulling free of Annie’s clutches.

            “Good job, kid.” Louis landed and patted Isabelle on the shoulder.

            “I did my best, sir.”

            Emilia laughed at how Isabelle addressed their team Captain. Turning back to Annie, she pulled her a little away from the main celebration. “I wanted to say that I’m sorry.”

            “Honestly, I thought you weren’t going to do this again,” Annie groaned, though playfully.

            “No, I mean, just listen. I didn’t realize how close you were with Fred, and I feel like you didn’t want to talk to him in front of me because I don’t like his friends. I’m sorry, I just feel like I got in the way of the two of you.”

            Annie laughed. “You make it sound like we’re in a forbidden relationship, and you’re the strict parent who doesn’t think his family is good enough for me!”

            “I know, I know! I just worry.”

            “Well, you don’t need to worry anymore. Fred has spoken to you, hasn’t he? And he sees you as his friend now. He was just saying to me before the match how great he thinks you are for everything you’ve done.”

            “Really?” Emilia beamed, her eyes widening.

            “Yeah, absolutely! Now, let’s go celebrate! I’m sure your father will be wanting to congratulate you.”


	14. A Chance

Emilia awoke to the sound of crazed singing. Rolling over, she pulled her pillow over her head.

            “No!” Annie shouted. “You have to get up, it’s your birthday.”

            “Yes, and because of that I don’t think I should be made to get out of bed,” she grumbled, almost incomprehensibly.

            “Oh, come on! We’re going to have the best day ever, and they are drawing the Champions after dinner.”

            That woke her up. Today was her first and last chance to enter the tournament, if she dared. After a month of being unable to think of much else, Emilia had convinced herself that, even if she put her name in the Goblet a thousand times, there wasn’t a chance that she would be chosen. So what was the harm?

            “Kitty and Maria are meeting us for breakfast. Hurry up!” Eve attempted to pull back the covers.

            “Alright.” She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

            “Here, open this first.” Annie places a present right in her lap.

            “Are you kidding me? I told you not to get me anything.”

            “We have to do as you say on your birthday, and it wasn’t your birthday when I bought this, nor when I wrapped it, so it’s a little late now. And you should see the presents your parents go you.”

            Emilia smiled, her eyes still a little droopy with sleep. “Let’s do breakfast first, and then we can come do this when I am more awake.”

            The four of them got ready and went down to breakfast early. The Great Hall was almost empty, and the tables we laden with Halloween themed breakfast treats. They went to sit down at Gryffindor table with Kitty and Maria, two Beauxbaton girls whom they had befriended.

            “Guess what.” Eve turned to them excitedly. “It’s Emilia’s birthday today!”

            “Eve!” Emilia whined.

            “Happy Birthday,” Kitty smiled.

            Maria clapped her hands. “Shall we sing?”

            Scrunching up her nose, Emilia buried her head in her hands, blushing furiously as she endured the day’s second rendition of the most awkward-making song in history.

            “This is why I’m glad all my friends are arseholes.” Will appear behind where she sat, hands in his pockets and stupid grin slapped across his face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get you anything, you can punch me if you like.”

            “It’s alright. I didn’t really want anything.”

            “Did you open the presents from Mum and Dad yet?”

            “No, not yet. One of them said I couldn't open it until December. I was too tired. But I’m pretty sure Annie will kill me if I don’t get them opened before class starts.”

            “Hey,” Will says before I can turn away. “Have you got much homework? Or are you free tonight?”

            “I think I can have one night off. It is my birthday, after all.”

            “Great. We can sort something out after the reaping tonight.”

*

“I’m gonna do it.”

            Annie stopped the quill on her page, ink spreading in a blot around the tip. “What are you…You’re not…?”

            Emilia ripped a strip from the bottom of a spare piece of parchment. Dipping her own quill in the ink pot, she carefully scribed her name onto it. She folded it up and slid it into the pocket of her skirt.

            “You’re gonna do it, aren’t you? You’re really gonna do it.” Annie’s face was ablaze with excitement. “Do you want me to come with you?”

            “No,” Emilia replied quickly. Standing from their table in the library, she dropped her head and lowered her voice. “I have to do this alone. Someone is more likely to notice if you come with me. I can go unnoticed. I’ve been doing it for years.”

            “Well, I’m not letting you leave without a hug.” Her friend also stood, circling the table. “I don’t care what they say about having to do it all alone; if you get chosen, I’ll be right there with you through all of it.”

            “Do you know the likelihood of that happening? The only reason I have the courage to do this is because I’m certain that I won’t be ‘deemed worthy’.”

            “Then what are you waiting for?”

            Emilia pulled away and held Annie at arm’s length. “You must promise not to tell anyone about this, especially not my brother. He’ll only get mad at me, or worse, he’ll tell Dad.”           

            “I promise. Now go, lunch is almost over.”

            Emilia nodded and began walking towards the library doors. Students milled around her, unseeing. She wove through the bookcases and out of the doors. The hallways felt emptier than they usually would have done. It was cold outside, a blistering wind rattling the castle windows. Each foot fall echoed in her mind, and the closer she got to the Great Hall, the slower and louder her steps seemed to become. Her heart pounded in her ears. Not only was she invisible to the people she passed, but they were invisible to her. The world seemed to blur around her, the only focus of her mind was getting the slip of paper into the Goblet.

            Only when she reached the large doors to the Great Hall did everything become clear once more. Taking a quick glance over her shoulder to check if anyone had seen her, she opened the door just enough for her to slip inside.

            The tables had been moved to the sides of the Hall, the Goblet and stand within a glowing, white ring in the centre of the space. A blue flame flickered fiercely above the rim of the Goblet. It was more than a full minute before Emilia noticed that there was someone sitting on the benches to her right. James.

            He hadn’t noticed her come in, but she was glad of that. The last thing she needed was someone to mess with her head. Though determined, she wasn’t sure just how little is would take for her to change her mind. Moving away from the doors, her shoes clicking against the stone floor, Emilia approached the cup.

            “You’d have to be mad, desperate for glory, or have a lot of pent up anger to want to enter this Tournament.”

            If he had seen who she was, he would likely have said something entirely different. “Well, why don’t you take a look at me, and then tell me you don’t see all three.”

            “Emilia. What the hell are you doing?” James got up and strode over to where she had stopped at the edge of the age line. “You can’t enter.”

            “Why don’t you sit right back down and watch me?”

            “But your father will go ballistic.”

            “What my father doesn’t know won’t kill him.” Emilia refused to look at him.

            “He’s going to find out.”

            “Oh, you of all people can’t possibly believe that I’ll be chosen.”

            “What is that supposed to mean?”

            “I think you know exactly what it’s supposed to mean.”

            “Well…how do you know when you turned exactly sixteen?”

            “It was about half an hour ago.” Emilia took a deep breath and stepped through the line. It wavered slightly and then settled. She waited a moment longer, just in case she had got the timings wrong, but nothing happened. Taking the slip of paper from her pocket, her hand shook almost violently as she reached up towards the rim of the Goblet. Emilia was a little too short, having to lean up on her tip-toes to drop her name into the cup.

            The flame flickered and flashed an amazing purple, laced with blackened tongues, before returning to it’s usual sapphire. Emilia stumbled back a few paces, outside of the age line. It was as though a great weight had been lifted from her chest, one she didn’t notice was there until it was gone. Heaving another sigh, Emilia turned on her heel and walked back to doors.

            “Woah, are you just going to walk away?”

            Emilia looked back around. She had forgotten James was still standing there. “I did what I came to do.”

            “But why?”

            Emilia almost laughed. “Why do you care?”

            “I’ll get an earful from your brother when he finds out.”

            “He’s not going to find out.”

            “I could tell him.”

            She raised an eyebrow, not sure whether to smile. “Is that a threat? Because it would have worked better before I put my name in that cup.” At this, James looked a little lost. “Beside, you won’t be wanting that earful you were talking about.”

            Emilia wasn’t sure how she did it. Perhaps it was because she wasn’t angry or afraid of him anymore, but there was nothing that tried to stop her from retorting. When she left that Great Hall, she could still feel that James’ eyes had trained after her.

* 

Scraping the last of her ice cream from her plate, Emilia set down her spoon and sighed, suddenly regretting her choice to have dessert. A sick feeling had begun to settle in the pit of her stomach. What would happen after the Champions were drawn? Would she be able to tell her family about what she had done? Would they be mad?

            Professor McGonagall stood from her seat, raising her arms for silence. “Thank you, everyone. Now, we come to something that you must all have been eagerly awaiting; the drawing of our Triwizard Champions.” The Hall erupted into excited chatter. “Quiet, please.”

            The caretaker levitated the Goblet of Fire up to the podium at the head of the Hall. McGonagall swept around and down towards it. As she reached up her hand, the flames over the Goblet burned black and purple. Something shot out of the fire into the air, and the piece of paper floated down, singed at the edges.

            “Is that normal?” Emilia heard James whisper to himself from across the table. This worried her; she didn’t know how many times his father had told him the story, but if this was strange to him, Emilia wasn’t sure what to expect.

            McGonagall caught the paper in her long fingers. “The Hogwarts Champion is…” Emilia did not miss the glance that passed between the headmistress and her father. “The Hogwarts Champion is…Emilia Longbottom.”


	15. Champion

Emilia’s stomach dropped. The colour drained from her cheeks and she felt her heart shake inside her ribcage. Her eyes lost focus for a moment as she looked around at the faces smiling at her, and the Hall erupted in an round of applause.

            Annie bit her bottom lip, trying to hide a grin. She threw her arms around her friend, whispering into her ear, “You did it!”

            She couldn’t help but laugh; none of it felt real. The clapping soon sounded muffled as she got shakily to her feet. It wasn’t long before she spotted Will in the crowd. He wasn’t smiling or clapping, only staring after her blankly, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Emilia faltered slightly at his expression, staggering in her footing. A few people around her sniggered, and she laughed along to hide the sudden uncertainty that flooded her mind. She didn’t so much as glance at her father as she approached Professor McGonagall.

            “Congratulations, Miss Longbottom,” she said, with a quick smile, handing her the small piece of paper. “If you’ll just go through those doors, you’ll be joined by the other Champions shortly.”

            She smiled and nodded to the students as she walked purposefully passed them. Her hand closed over the large door handle and she pushed through. Closing the door behind her, she leant against it, heaving a deep sigh. The euphoria of being chosen was beginning to fade. What had she got herself into?

            Emilia’s shoes squeaked a little as she ambled down the polished marble steps. Passing through the gates at the bottom of the staircase, she was met with a stunning sight. Cabinets filled to the brim with trophies, medals and wooden plaques for many different awards. There were sections of the chamber set aside for the different Houses. Quidditch cups and House cups sat proudly on glass shelves, reflecting the flicking light of the fire. Everything in the room seemed to glimmer majestically golden. She wandered towards the log fire, tracing her hand over the top of the armchair next to it.

            The loud click of heels ripped Emilia out of her trance. She turned see a Beauxbaton girl strutting through the cabinets towards her. The girl had bone-straight, black hair, brushing the top of her shoulders. Her pale face was ovular and tight, like if she smiled too widely, it might tear. Nevertheless, she did smile, and Emilia smiled back. She walked up to her and offered a hand.

            “Hello, I’m Sonia.”

            Emilia shook her hand firmly. “I’m Emilia.”

            “You look very young. You can’t be much older than sixteen.”

            “I…er…I actually only turned sixteen today.”

            “Oh, well, happy birthday.” There was an awkward pause.

            Emilia knew that, though Sonia was probably a lovely girl, she was also a Champion. She couldn’t get too close to someone that would inevitably be trying to beat her.

            “So…how old are you?” Emilia asked.

            “I turned seventeen just last month.”

            Another boom of the door at the top of the marble staircase signified the entrance of the Durmstrang Champion. Both girls looked up and saw a tall boy stomp down the stairs. The thud of his heavy-footed arrival echoed through the chamber. Emilia expected someone of that build, and such a heavy brow, to frown at them. But instead he gave them each a broad grin, his stubbled cheeks bunching like a chipmunk’s might. Throwing his arms out, he greeted them both with a hearty embrace. Emilia found herself feeling smaller than she ever had, but it was nothing compared to Sonia, whose slender form, which stood a couple of inches shorter than Emilia, looked as though it might be crushed.

            “I’m Erik Winters, Durmstrang’s Champion,” he said, with a thick Scandinavian accent that Emilia couldn’t specifically place. “I know that this is a competition, but let’s get along.”

            Sonia shook herself a little when Erik set both of the girls straight. “That might not be as easy as you think,” she bristled.

            Emilia wanted to say something else, but the sound of the chamber door opening for a fourth time stopped her. Professor McGonagall, the headteachers of the other schools, as well as Professor Longbottom and Regina Harold, came down the steps and approached the group.

            “Congratulations, Champions. You have chosen as the most worthy students to represent each of the schools in the Triwizard Tournament.” Regina Harold stepped forwards vivaciously. “This challenge is not for the faint-hearted, and you have already proven yourselves to be not so. Now that you’re in, you can’t back out. You will face many things in the coming year, and it is my wish that you use your abilities, magical or otherwise, to overcome each challenge. Good luck to all. May the best Champion win.”

            The headmistress of Beauxbatons came to shake hands with Sonia and began leading her away. Sonia turned back to give Emilia a smile before disappearing up the stairs. The thin, black haired man, who had entered with the Durmstrang students, approached Emilia first. He extended a bony hand for her to shake, and she did so with a shy smile.

            “Congratulations, Miss Longbottom. I must say that is quite an interesting name,” he chattered, clearly nervous. “Forgive me, I am acting headmaster of Durmstrang, Professor Anderson. The real headmaster is ill and he couldn’t come, so he sent me instead. Oh, look at me, blabbering about things you probably don’t care about-”

            “It’s okay,” Emilia said, to stop him from going on. “It’s nice to meet you.”

            “It’s a pleasure to meet you too.” Professor Anderson reluctantly moved over to Erik, who was almost a foot taller than him and far broader.

            Emilia finally looked at her father. He moved forward, and didn’t speak a word as he pulled her into his arms. And all she could think to say was “I’m sorry.”

            “What for?” he asked, stroking his daughter’s hair.

            “I should have told you first. I just didn’t think, I didn’t think about how it might affect you.” Emilia pulled away, looking at the ground, embarrassed.

            “If you had come to me, I don’t think you would have been chosen. You were independent enough to know what you wanted and didn’t need any help deciding what to do. I am terrified for you, but I’m also very proud of you.”

            “Thank you. I was so convinced that I wouldn’t be chosen that I didn’t think it would matter if I entered or not. If I’m worried about anything right now, it’s what Will is going to say.”

            “I’m sure he’ll come around. He probably just didn’t expect it; I know I didn’t. And if there is anything you need help with, you know I’ll always be here for you.”

            “Thanks, Dad.”

            “Well, you certainly took me by surprise. But you have my full support, and I know that the rest of Hogwarts will be behind you as well.”

            “Thank you, Professor McGonagall. I’ll try not to let anyone down.”

            “That’s impossible, sweetheart,” her father smiled. “Now, I think you might have some explaining to do to your friends.”

            “Well, Annie knew. And James actually, though he caught me in the act.”

            “Really?”

            “Yeah, it was a little awkward.”

            “Alright, well, I’d like to have a little talk with Professor McGonagall, so go enjoy the rest of your birthday, but don’t go too wild.”

            “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Emilia bounded up the marble steps, a new confidence within her. If she had her father’s support, she didn’t need anything else.

            Will was waiting for her in the Entrance Hall at the top of the steps from the bottom entrance to the castle. He looked distressed, frowning as she approached him. “What exactly were you thinking when you put your name in that bloody cup?”

            “I suppose, it was more of a personal victory rather than an actual desire to become a Champion.” She gestured for him to follow her has she started towards the Gryffindor Common Room. “I honestly didn’t think I would be chosen.”

            “But you took the risk, and scared me half to death.”

            “I would have thought you’d already know.”

            “After everything you’ve been through, how could I possibly have had the slightest inkling that you would enter this death match?” Will threw his arms up in the air.

            “I thought…” Emilia contemplated briefly whether to tell him.

            “You thought what? That I wouldn’t mind? That I didn’t care about you and the fact that you could actually die?”

            “I thought James would have told you. He was there when I put my name in at lunch.”

            “He didn’t try and stop you?”

            “He did, but I ignored him.”

            “I can’t believe he didn’t tell me.”

            _I can,_ Emilia allowed herself a little mental smirk.

            “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

            “Well, I did tell Annie, just before I did it. But I was afraid anyone more sensible would try and talk me out of it. You would probably tell me to take things slow because of how I’ve been over the past few years, and then I wouldn’t have been able to enter. But, like I said, I wasn’t expecting to be chosen.”

            “I’m going to be mad at you for a long time after this, you know that?” Emilia nodded, though smiling. “But I’m sure you want to enjoy your birthday.”

            “I do.”

            “You took your time,” Annie called from the top of the staircase leading up to the portrait of the Fat Lady. “Will, you’re coming in too.”

            “I don’t know, it’s a little late. I don’t want to get caught outside of the Common Room after curfew.”

            “Come on,” Emilia whined, taking his arm. “It won’t be the same without you there. And you don’t have to stay for very long if you don’t want to. Please?”

            Will’s face softened, giving in to his sister’s pleas. The three of them entered the Gryffindor Common Room, and were greeted by a frantic Eve.

            “Annie! You were supposed to wait! We’re not read yet.”

            “You said you weren’t going to make a big deal out of this.”

            “I know, I know. But we got the cake all ready for you, Emilia, and now that you’re a Champion it just feels like we can’t not make a big deal out of it.” She led them over to where a group of students had put together a few tables in the corner of the Common Room, littered with drinks and snacks, and in the centre was a large cake.

            It was a classic Victoria sponge with cream and jam, but on top was a little model of a dragon. The piped cream around them looked almost inedible, coloured black, and red for Gryffindor. Emilia couldn’t help grinning.

            “I know it isn’t much-”

            “It’s perfect!” Emilia wrapped her arm around Annie.

            “We wanted to throw a huge party, but apparently that would _disturb other students_ ,” Eve mimicked a whiny voice.

            Natalie snapped her head around to glare at her. “I just think that we should be respectful of others.”

            Will laughed. “Thank you all for doing this.”

            Eve placed what Emilia presumed to be a muggle radio on the table and twisted the dial for a few moments before an upbeat song played from its speakers. Albus arrived soon after that, as well as Lorcan and Lysander Scamander from Ravenclaw, who Emilia suspected Eve had invited for her own benefit. Rose, Lily, and Fred came down from the dorms, and the other Gryffindor boys came down to talk to Will.

            “Here.” Annie handed her a cold bottle of butterbeer. “And cut that cake already. I starved myself at dinner so I could fit a slice or two of that in.”

            Emilia laughed. “How did you even get hold of this stuff?”

            “I may have done Louis a few favours in exchange for him smuggling it in from Hogsmead.” Emilia’s eyes widened. “Nothing like that!” Annie hit her arm softly at the implication. “No, just things like tidying the broom shed and cleaning his Quidditch gear after that muddy practice the other week.”

            “That’s actually amazing of you.”

            “Oh, stop it you,” Annie smiled, waving it off. “Anyway, how was your father about this whole Champion thing?”

            “He was actually very supportive, as was McGonagall. He says I should go straight to him if I need anything. It was a lot scarier talking to Will about it. He’s not happy at all.”

            “Well, it wasn’t up to him. And we’re all really proud as well, that was a truly Gryffindor move. Eve wouldn’t stop gushing over how great it’ll be to have a famous friend.”

            “Really? And, let me guess, James was pretty quiet the entire time?”

            “How could you possibly know that?”

            “He was there when I put my name in and didn’t try very hard to stop me. I almost feel bad for him because he’ll be getting an earful from my brother about it tonight.”

            “Well, good luck to him.” Annie held up her bottle and clinked it against Emilia’s. “Happy birthday, and congratulations. Looks like this is going to be a great year after all.”

* 

_Emilia was back on the train station platform, the smoke thinner, the air colder. The hairs along her arms and on her neck stood on end, and she became very aware of a presence behind her. But when she twisted around, there was no one there._

_Fear filled her blood, and her hand reached for her wand, but she couldn’t find it. As the frantic moments passed, she felt less and less in touch with the body, and more like a figure floated just next to it._

_And then he appeared, the man. He felt so familiar, yet she had never seen him in her life, only in this dream. How was that possible? And how could she be aware that this was a dream whilst she was still in there?_

_The body she was seemingly attached to lashed out, attempting to strike the man with a physical attack. But he dodged it easily, stepping to the side, a slimy smirk slipping over his face, the first expression of emotion that she had seen from him. He reached up and smoothed back his hair._

_Then, the bottom part of him seemed to billow into a thick, black fog. He swooped around her, whispering something but she couldn’t make it. All sound was becoming muffled and it felt as though she was slipping away from everything. Emilia felt herself rise upwards, but the body stayed put, until everything faded into complete darkness once more._


	16. The First Task

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates I Have Made ~  
> \- Emilia & co. are in 5th year.  
> \- Thus, age to enter Tournament is 16.  
> \- Annual Quidditch is cancelled but they still play friendlies for entertainment purpose.
> 
> All this because I neglected to realize the fact that James is in fact TWO years older than Albus, not one. That was a fun day. Please excuse my mistake and thank you for your patience.

Over the next couple of weeks, Emilia spent all of her free time pouring over her textbooks, new and old, trying to fill her brain with anything that could be useful for the First Task. She hadn’t seen much of Erik or Sonia, nor had she spoken a word to them.

            Emilia also began to do well in her studies, keeping on top of her homework and staying attentive in class. The extra revision she had been doing in preparation for the First Task of the Tournament seemed to please her professors. For the first time, her grades were as they should be.

            The date for the First Task was announced a week beforehand; Saturday 23rd November. As much as Emilia had studied, she felt entirely too unprepared. She hadn’t heard so much as a whisper of what the First Task had in store for her and, by the looks of it, neither did the other Champions. Emilia saw a little more of them as she stayed late at the library every night that week. They would smile at each other, but never speak. After all, they were rivals.

            On Friday evening, Emilia sat slumped at a desk by herself in the corner of the Gryffindor Common Room, her head resting on an open copy of ‘Advanced Rune Translation.’ She stared blankly through the gap between Danny and Kieran, who were huddled around James’ latest project. It looked like some sort of firework, though James seemed to be tampering with the inner workings of it.

            “Emilia!” Annie made her jump, drawing her out of the haze.

            “What?” she muttered, shaking her head.

            “Aren’t you going to bed?”

            “What? Oh, yeah, in a bit.”

            “Still nervous about tomorrow?”

            Emilia sighed. “I just don’t know what I’m going to do.”

            Annie pulled out the chair opposite and sat down. “Well, you’re not stupid, you know what much. You’ve been cramming-”

            “But I literally have no idea what I am up against! I’ll have to think on the spot, and I’m not so good at doing that.”

            “Here. Ender brought it just now. It might cheer you up.” Annie placed a letter in front of her and stood. “If you aren’t up soon, I’ll be dosing you with some Sleeping Draft.”

            “Night,” Emilia smiled.

            Raising her head, she took the letter and broke the seal. It was from her mother.

_Dear Emilia,_

_I’m so sorry that I can’t be at the Task tomorrow, but I’ll be expecting a nice long, detailed letter from you by the evening! I’m sure I don’t have to wish you good luck; you’re a smart girl, remember that._

_I believe in you, as does your father and Will. All we ask is that you do your best, and please do try not to die. I know it has been tough for you over the past few years, and it might feel like we’re babying you a little bit, but it’s only because we love you and we hate seeing you in pain._

_I was so worried before that I didn’t get the chance to tell you just how proud I am, how proud both myself and your father are, of your bravery in entering this Tournament. You’re already a Champion, especially to us. Be careful, okay?_

_I love you. I can’t wait to see you at Christmas!_

_Mum X_

The letter did make her feel a lot better. Of course, she wanted to win, but that didn’t matter to her as much as making her family proud, showing everyone that she could fix herself, that she had fallen but also that she had picked herself back up again.

            Folding up the letter and gathering her books into a pile, she went up to the girls’ dorms. After she had gotten changed and tidied her books away, Emilia opened the top draw of her bedside table, reaching to the back and pulling out a box. It felt far lighter than it usually was. To her horror, when she lifted the lid, she saw the box was empty.

            Jumping up, Emilia began to frantically search her bedside table and then moved to her trunk. The curtains around Annie’s four-poster bed whipped open.

            “Is everything alright?”

            “I’ve lost-” But she stopped. In all the years she had owned it, Emilia had never told anyone about the Diadem necklace. And until now, even with all she had gone through, she never thought it worthy of use as a good luck charm. But now that she finally flet a dire need for it, it was gone. “I’ve lost something. I was hoping I could take it with me tomorrow for luck.”

            “Emilia, there’s no use panicking over it now. I’m sure you’ll find it in the morning. You need to get some sleep. Beside, it’s like I’ve told you hundreds of times; you don’t need luck, you’re the bravest person I know. You’ll be brilliant.”

*****

At half past ten on Saturday morning, the student body, including the visitors from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, were called to the Great Hall for the viewing of the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament. Emilia had been sent special clothes for the Task – a long-sleeved, black t-shirt, the Hogwarts crest emblazoned on the back, khaki trousers, black, fingerless gloves with padded palms, and a pair of thick-soled combat boots – which she had changed into, and walked with her friends downstairs. Eve busied herself with braiding up Emilia’s hair into the style of someone she called ‘Katniss Everdeen’, hoping it would bring her luck.

            As the students began to file into the Great Hall, Will pulled his sister into a hug. “Good luck,” he sighed nervously, holding her close. “You can do this. And I’ll be watching the whole time. We’ll all be there with you.”

            “Thanks, Will.”

            “I love you.”

            “I love you too.”

            Will pulled away, hurrying over to his friends. Fred caught her eye with a beaming smile and two thumbs up.

            After she had finished with her hair, Eve embraced her briefly. “You’ve got this, Girl on Fire!”

            “Oh, because of the whole dragon thing?”

            “No, because of…never mind. I’ll explain later. Good luck.”

            Annie practically threw herself onto Emilia, and even Natalie joined in the group hug, Eve as well.

            “Ladies,” Professor Longbottom’s voice echoed in the now almost empty Entrance Hall. “Could I have a moment with Emilia?”

            The Gryffindor girls let go, patted Emilia’s shoulders a couple of times, nodded to the professor, and followed the last of the students into the Great Hall.

            “How are you holding up?”

            Emilia scratched the back of her head. “Honestly, I have no idea. I’m feeling pretty sick and I know I’ll forget everything I have learnt up to fourth year.”

            “I want to say that you’ll be fine, but I’m sure you’ll have gotten sick of hearing that over these past few weeks.” Emilia could only smile and nod. “Do your best. That’s all anyone will ever ask of you.”

            “Professor Longbottom, could you please help manage the students in the Hall. I need to take Miss Longbottom down to the Quidditch pitch.” Professor McGonagall swept out of the Great Hall, the babble of students leaking out for a moment.

            “The Quidditch pitch?” Emilia couldn’t allow her hopes to rise even a little.

            “Remember, your family and friends love you, no matter what happens.” Her father held her close, kissing the top over her head.

            Emilia nodded again. “I’ll make you proud.”

            “You already have.”

            She didn’t follow the headmistress out of the doors until her father had disappeared from sight. When the Quidditch pitch came into view, Emilia spotted a large tent which had been pitched up against the outside of the stands. They walked in silence down to the pitch, though Emilia could hear every beat of her heart, pounding in her ears. Little shivers kept rippling up from her stomach into her cheeks, which didn’t help with the sick feeling she had had all morning.

            Both Sonia and Erik, as well as Madame Maxime and Professor Anderson, were already inside when they entered. The atmosphere told Emilia that neither of the Champions had any idea what they were going up against. At least they were all on the same page. She exchanged smiles with the two of them, but didn’t hold eye contact with them for long. Sonia had been right; they were rivals and, at least until they had sized each other up, there was no room from being friends.

            Emilia had never thought she would be so pleased to see Regina Harold, whose excited burst into the tent cut through the tension like a knife. Her enthusiasm for the Tournament, and just life in general, had been entertaining at first, but some had come to find it rather tedious. But this competition had become as important to Emilia as it seemed to Miss Harold, and she was going to hang onto her every word.

            “Right everyone, let’s get started. The First Task is very simple; you should collect item from the Quidditch pitch stands and make your way to the Great Hall. The first person to place their item onto their gold plate wins the Task.” Regina’s eyes were shining with a manic glee. “Of course, there are a couple rules that we must adhere to. Number one; you are allowed your wand and no other magical assistance. Number two; any attempts to physically sabotage the other Champions, magically or otherwise, it strictly prohibited.”

            No one said anything, shaken by the few instructions that they had been given. Emilia, Erik and Sonia all looked at each other and then to their respective headteachers. Regina gestured for them all to leave the tent, her smile never wavering.

            The sky was overcast, the air bleak and cold. Emilia had been too nervous about what the Task might involve, but now her senses were heightened to everything around her, everything that could stand in her way. This was the Triwizard Tournament; nothing would be as easy as it seemed.

            “Do you see those?” Regina pointed at a dozen bird-like objects flying over from the castle. “They’re just cameras so that everyone can see how you’re doing. They won’t get in your way. At the sound of the cannon, you may begin.”

            Emilia turned back to Professor McGonagall, not knowing whether she hoped for any words of encouragement, or some last minute advice. She thought back to what her father had said and knew she didn’t need much more. McGonagall placed her hands on Emilia’s shoulders and offered her another one of her rare smiles. There was something in her eyes, though Emilia was unsure as to what is was, fear perhaps, and it drove her desire to win even higher. She wasn’t just playing for herself, she was playing for Hogwarts.

            The three Champions lined up on a grassy area close to the Quidditch pitch on the side closest to the castle, all craning their heads up at the stands in search for their items.

            So distracted, Emilia almost missed the sound of cannon. They all ran a ring around the outside of the Quidditch pitch first. The items were all likely to be in the same place, so as to not offer one Champion the unfair advantage of having less distance to travel to the castle. Emilia expected that they out be on the inside of the stands, almost ducking under them straight away, but sticking with the others seemed like her best bet. She was the youngest and the least experienced.

            Erik spotted them first. Whipping out his wand, he pointed it to the top of one of the turrets on the side of the stands furthest from the castle. Emilia and Sonia spotted their items on the turrets on either side.

            She smiled. It was the Diadem necklace, hanging off a piece of wood stick out of the material banner. Someone must have come to take it during classes the day before. How could they have known that after years of neglect, she would finally feel the need for it during the Tournament? But none of that would matter if she couldn’t find a way to get the necklace down.

            “Wingardium Leviosa!” A first years spell that she had mastered almost immediately. But nothing happened.

            Emilia looked over to Sonia and Erik, who both had their wands held up towards the turrets, upon which were attached their own treasured items. She heard them performing the Accio charm, something she wasn’t due to learn until after Christmas. Trying anyway, but of course to no avail, she realized the horrible truth. If they could not get their treasures down, the Champions would have to find a way to get themselves up.

            Unsure as to whether the summoning charm would work on her broomstick, Emilia decided not to risk relying on it. She didn’t know any self-levitation charms nor could she think of any other magic that would help her.

            Brashly yelling the summoning charm on her broomstick and fully expecting it not to work, she tucked her wand into her robes and ran towards the base of the turret.

            She took a death grip on the Hufflepuff banner that covered the frame. Angling away from the Quidditch stands and throwing her body to the ground, she attempted to yank the banner down. There was a slight tearing noise above her and the banner did give way a little.

            But Emilia didn’t have time for this. Holding the bottom of the banner at arm’s length, she took out her wand and pointed the tip of it onto the material. “Reducto!” she cried, then quickly turned away before the consequences revealed themselves.

            There was a loud, swooping sound, wind ripping through the fly-away hairs that had come loose from her braid. It swept upwards and, only when she couldn’t feel it anymore, Emilia looked up. The banner was dissolving, as if it was being eaten up by an invisible fire.

            Finding no time to hesitate, Emilia approached the bare framework and began to climb. She had absolutely no way of preventing herself from falling so, rather than look around to see how the other Champions were getting on, she fixed her eyes on the necklace as it got closer and closer. Getting herself into a steady rhythm, she had her hands around the pendant before her bare fingers became numb from the cold.

            She slung the Diadem jewel around her neck and looked up at the camera that was buzzing around her head. She wanted to smile but was suddenly very aware of the other Champions finding their way up the turrets. Tucking the necklace into her shirt, Emilia began to climb down the stand.

            She had just reached the bottom and reoriented herself towards the castle, when something landed heavily next to her. Emilia screamed and fell back onto the ground. It seemed that Erik had jumped from a significant height in order to get ahead. He glanced at Emilia to give her an apologetic look and bolted. Scrambling to her feet, Emilia, though knowing she wouldn’t easily be able to catch up, followed.

            She pelted across the grounds and up to the castle. From the Owlery, owls hooted, perched on the roof and walls; even they seemed to be enjoying the show. But by the time she reached the gate into the school, Erik was already blasting the lock with destructive looking spells, and when those didn’t work, he pounded on the door with his fist.

            In no bid to disrespect him by assuming his ignorance to such a simple spell, Emilia whispered “Alohomora” so quietly that only she could have heard it, but the lock only shook and didn’t open.

            Sonia had arrived, heaving, and clutching her side. She was far more aggressive with the lock than Emilia could have expected of her. If these two couldn’t get in, Emilia thought there was little hope of her achieving success. There had to be another way in.

            Sonia and Erik had had almost two months the memorize the layout of the castle. Emilia had had over four years. Turning tail, she began to circle the outside of the castle. The others must have caught on as she heard pounding footfalls behind her, though the two never came into her vision, not knowing where she was headed.

            Emilia passed a paddock of Hippogriffs, who had become restless in the wait for the next third years Care of Magical Creatures lesson, and were even more so now that several bird-like things were zooming over their heads in a bid to get a good action shot of the Champions.

            There was no gate to where the path lead into the maze of greenhouses, but as soon as the three of them passed through the archway, there came an eerie creaking that made them stop. The windows were misty and translucent, nothing unusual. The shapes of the plants inside were still visibly waving, again, not out of the ordinary.

            They crept closer and closer to the greenhouses, eventually splitting off to take different paths to the courtyard. Emilia raised her wand, the palms of her hands sweating inside the gloves. She could hear her heart beating in her ears again, her hot breath billowing out into the air in front of her. It almost made her laugh how it reminded her of the dragon, how she couldn’t seem to escape it, even in her human form. And just when she thought the way was clear, something tickled her ankle.

            Something was curling itself slowly up her leg. Hesitantly looking back to see what it was, Emilia was almost relieved.

            Devil’s Snare.

            The sky above remained unchanged, overcast as it had been since dawn. Without moving an inch, she twisted her body, reaching her wand arm across and aiming it at the thick tendril of the plant.

            “Lumos Solem,” Emilia said firmly.

            The vine retracted sharply at the sudden burst of light. Emilia lost her balance and stumbled into the side of the nearest greenhouse. From there she could see a clear path to where she should have been able to see the archway into the castle and through to the middle courtyard. But something was blocking her view.

            It was dark. It had yellow thorns. And it was moving.

            Of course, with a father such as hers, Emilia knew exactly what it was. The problem was that she had no idea what the spell was the get past it. She thought she might have read it at some point, somewhere. But as helpful information usually does in this sort of crisis, it had slipped from her mind.

            Sliding along the greenhouse wall, keeping herself as flat against it as possible and peering around the corner, she could see Erik and Sonia casting spell from a fair distance. Emilia wanted a closer look, so stepped out from behind the greenhouse.

            The two other Champions had begun casting spells that antagonized the monstrous plant, and occasionally stepping back to avoid the yellow thorns that flew as the plant lashed out. Sonia then twisted her wand and pulled back violently. The branches of the plant lashed out again, but this time seemingly at the will of Sonia’s wand. She began to walk forward cautiously until she had completely disappeared into the thick hedging.

            Edging closer, Emilia could see that the thorny branches had closed up behind her and were now battling with Erik. If the plant reassembled itself after each Champion passed through, Emilia was sure she had no chance.

            But in her bid to get a better idea of how to defeat the Spikey Prickly Plant and Spikey Bushes, she had neglected to notice that she had gotten a little too close to the plant.

            Two yellow spikes pierced deeply into her arm, one more cutting into her hip, and another into the back of her calf. Cursing in pain, Emilia dropped her wand and clutched her left arm. Patches of blood began to appear where the thorns had struck. As she bent down to retrieve her wand, she saw Erik disappear into the hedge.

            “Shit, shit, shit!” she huffed, smacking a flying camera away from her face.

            Thinking of how many obstacles could be waiting between here and the Great Hall, the thought of firing every destructive spell she knew at the plant only cross her mind fleetingly. She had to find another way in.

            Emilia tried to run back to the archway that led back out onto to the open grounds, but the spikes ripped further into her tissue. Though it prevented infection and blood loss, Emilia knew she couldn’t get anywhere fast without taking them out. Gritting her teeth and screwing up her eyes, she yanked each of the yellow spikes from the wounds. She could scarcely afford time for more than a couple of breaths before she set off running again.

            The only other place she could think of that would get her into the castle was the docks, but as her wounds really begun to sting, it seemed so far away. Placing her hand on the pendant hanging under her shirt, she wished for a miracle.

            Then, she remembered the Hippogriffs in their paddock. Having failed the Herbology test, she felt the need to prove that she wasn’t completely useless. After all, that’s why she had been working so hard for the Tournament in the first place.

            Redirecting down to where the group of Hippogriffs had settled, Emilia stumbled to a halt a little away off from the paddock. Practical lessons were always easier to remember, and Care of Magical Creatures had been the subject that had suffered the least in her lowest years.

            Taking slow but confident strides towards the closest Hippogriff, a reddish-brown and white feathered one, she stopped and bowed as low as she could. Slowing her breathing, she looked up to see that the Hippogriff had reciprocated. Still cautious, Emilia slipped under the paddock ropes. She held her hand out at arm’s length slightly above her head and waited.

            The Hippogriff moved forwards to sniff her hand, snapping its beak softly, but she didn’t back off. When it finally nuzzled its head into her palm, she wasted no time running her hand down its neck and towards the wings.

            “I need your help,” she said, patting a spot on the creature’s back as if it could understand her.

            But sure enough, it bent its front legs and knelt down. Emilia carefully swung her leg over the Hippogriff’s back and held on tight. It got to its feet and, with a little encouragement, sprang up over the barrier ropes and galloped across the grass.

            The Hippogriff thundered towards the school. Spreading its huge wings, it kicked off into the air, Emilia hanging on for dear life. If this had been a lesson, she might have taken the opportunity to appreciate the view, relish the wind in her hair, the powerful beat of the beast’s wings. But she couldn’t lose focus, especially as she had never ridden a Hippogriff before and wasn’t at all confident in steering one.

            “We need to get to the Great Hall,” Emilia said. They were already headed over the Entrance Courtyard, all set to collide with the front of the Great Hall building. Emilia leant slightly to the left and squeeze a little with her knees. Thankfully, the Hippogriff obliged.

            Soaring past the tall windows on the side of Hall, Emilia glared through them to see if either of the other Champions had already finished the Task, but it was hopeless. Everything became a blur.

            In her haze, Emilia had to grab a handful of the Hippogriff’s feathers to stop herself from sliding off as it circled around the corner of the building. Taking out her wand, she pulled the beast to a halt and flung out her arm to where she had once emerged a great black dragon.

            “Finestra!” she cried, and the stained-glass window turned to sand as they swooped into the Great Hall.

            Students below shrieked and gasped. They were seated on tiered benched at the sides of the Hall, large projector screens on the walls above them. In the centre of the cleared space was a table, perpendicular to the spectators, upon which were three gold dishes, each with their school crested depicted in the centre.

            At that moment, Erik burst through the door of the Great Hall. His face was bruising and his hair in disarray. Emilia lent forwards on the Hippogriff’s neck, urging it down. If she could just get above the table, she could drop the necklace in before Erik got there. Pulling the pendent out of her shirt, she looked down, timing her drop. Erik was charging forwards, ready to lob whatever he had in his fist onto the plate.

            Emilia never saw who finished first. Her Hippogriff spread its wings, beating them hard. Students jumped back in their seats as hooves clashed onto the stone floor, slipping to a halt before the pair of them could crash into the wooden doors, just in time to meet Sonia, fuming and dishevelled, rushing into the Hall to place her treasure.

            The spectators erupted into thunderous applause and, just like that, Emilia felt she was able to breathe again. It was announced that Erik had gotten first by a fraction, and she clapped along with the rest.

            The Hippogriff knelt down to let her climb off and nudged her shoulder fondly. Emilia smiled and stroked the creature’s head. “Thank you,” she whispered.

            “Nifsky,” came a gruff voice. Hagrid had appeared beside her, his beady eyes shining. “Tha’s her name. She seems to like you.”

            “Thank you for involuntarily loaning her to me. She was very useful.”

            “She’ll be gettin’ extra ferrets tonight, ya can be sure o’ that. Great job today; ya father’s very proud,” Hagrid beamed and led Nifsky out of the Great Hall.

            “This isn’t fair!” As the crowd of students surged into the middle of the Hall, Annie bounded down the benches to meet her. “You damage school property _twice_ and no one bats an eyelid, but I get detention for doodling in class.”

            “I never did like that window.” The two girls laughed.

            “Emilia Dragonborn, can’t keep her feet on the ground.”

            “Dragonborn?” She embraced her red-faced brother.

            “Yeah, that’s name we came up with. I hope it’s not too insensitive.”

            “No, I like it just fine. No heart attacks then?”

            “Not quite.” Will smiled, though nervously.

            Annie snorted. “Nah, but we thought he might be sick when those yellow things got you.”

            “Oh my God, we need to get you to the hospital wing!” Will gently touched the patches of blood on Emilia’s arms. She’d almost forgotten about them, but as the rush of adrenaline had begun to die, the pain kicked in again.

            “Wait a second. I want to shake hands with the other two.” The crowd parted as Emilia walked towards the table. But there was something odd about the face of the people surrounding it. They were staring, dumbfounded, at the items in the plates. “What’s going on?” she muttered to herself.

            Erik and Sonia were stood with the backs to her, looking down at their items. Emilia hurried forwards to see that the necklace, though still intact, was glowing a bright sapphire. Glancing over, she saw that the jewelled quill on Erik’s plate and the open pages of Sonia’s book were glowing as well.

            Tentatively, Emilia reached out her hand to pick it up, but retracted sharply when something dark flashed before her eyes. The two other Champion whipped their heads to look at her. It didn’t seem as though anyone had seen what she had, and the last thing she needed right now was to have an episode.

            “Annie, have you got a cloth, a bag, or something?”

            “What’s up?” her friend asked, walking up behind her.

            “I don’t know,” Emilia mumbled. “I just don’t want to touch it.”

            Annie took off her hoodie. “Here, wrap it up in this. We can deal with it when we’ve got you cleaned up.”

            But there was no we about it. Emilia intended to shut it back in the box in her bedside table until she could take a good look at it. It no doubt held a clue to the challenges of the Second Task, and that was something she had to figure out alone.


	17. Complications

“I’m impressed, Emilia. Your grades have really improved this year.” Dr Norton, Professor of Potions, smiled down at her as she returned the previous weeks’ assignment. Emilia nodded silently, smiling herself and brushing her thumb over the glittering green ‘O’ at the top of the parchment. “And might I add that you gave us all a pleasant shock at the weekend. Are you feeling alright now?”

            “Yes, thank you, Professor. The wounds weren’t very deep.”

            “Well, I hope you can keep up the good work.” Dr Norton then proceeded to hand out the rest of the marked essays.

            After setting the reading for the next lesson, the professor dismissed them. Emilia packed her things neatly into her bag and stood to leave. There was a short break between Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts, and so she could afford to wait for the rest of the classroom to empty to make her exit.

            A tattered bag landing on the desk made her jump. With all the wealth and fame of his family, he would never replace it.

            “I suppose I should congratulate you on not dying?”

            “Just in general?” Emilia cocked her head at James.

            “I meant on Saturday, in the First Task.”

            “Well then, I suppose _I_ should _not_ be surprised that you could only do so when _your_ friends are not here to mock you and _my_ friends are not here to bat you away.”

            “More recently, it seems like they’re the same people.”

            “Well, you’re in a bit of a mess then, aren’t you?” Emilia tried to keep her smile sincere. Walking past James, she hitched her bag up onto her shoulder and left the room.

            Jogging to catch up with her, James frowned a little. “What do you mean by that?”

            “What do you want, James?” she sighed heavily.

            “I’m making an effort to be nice to you,” he said, a self-satisfied smirk slapped across his face, which made Emilia’s upper lip curl. “Hey, I’ve done lots of nice things for you. I stayed with you when you went all dragon, I tried to save you from the Tournament, and then didn’t tell Will that you entered.”

            “You did all of those things so that you didn’t have to listen to my brother talk about it.”

            James, very suddenly, took hold of her wrist, pulling her behind one of the pillars at the edge of the courtyard. She didn’t protest too much as there was still a little time before class begun, but she didn’t take at all kindly to being grabbed, especially by James.

            “Listen.” James’ voice had deepened and he towered over her. “Your brother worries about you a hell of a lot and, quite frankly, I am really sick of hearing about you. I can’t believe I actually thought that once I tried to get you know you, you’d be one of those nice girls. But it turns out you’re a bitch, just like the rest of them. So, you can either back off from your brother and my friends, or you can try and be a little nicer to me."

            “When have I ever not been nice to you?”

            “You slapped me! And you called me a monster!”

            Emilia gritted her teeth, tilting her chin upwards, though very aware of the people passing by on their way to class. “Yeah well, you made me feel like one,” she quipped, in a hushed, matter-of-fact tone. James could only gape in slight horror, unable to find the words to retort. “You treated me like the scum of the earth, like I was lower than you, and then when things actually start getting better for me, you expect me to treat you as if you’ve been all caring and kindness. And as for Will, I’m doing everything I can to show my family that I’m getting better and that I can be more independent, but until such a time as they are convinced, you’re just going to have to deal with the fact that you are not the only person on my brother’s mind.”

            When no immediate reply came, Emilia pushed back one of James’ shoulders and continued down the corridor. Will and the rest of the Gryffindors were already in the Defence Against the Dart Arts classroom, as well as the girls from Slytherin. Annie waved Emilia over to her desk, and she was glad to be free of James, even if it was just for now.

            “What’s up with you?”

            “James.” Emilia rolled her eyes.

            “What has he said now?”

            “Oh, he’s just complaining about me.”

            “So nothing new then?”

            “Alright everyone, settle down!” Professor Cowley poked his head out of his office. “I want all the desks and chairs at the side of the classroom. I’ll be out in a second.”

            The more quick-minded of the students where levitating seats from underneath others and laughing as they fell on the floor. Emilia and Annie moved quickly to the front of the classroom to avoid the flying havoc. A loud bang came from the office above them.

            Professor Cowley was a young teacher, having only taught at Hogwarts since the beginning of the previous year. He was full of enthusiasm, extremely likable, and slightly weak to the manipulation of mischievous students. So when he opened the door to his office, assuring the class that everything was going according to plan whilst backing out of the doorway, wand raised, and a large trunk hovering through the door as he stumbled down the stairs, the students just smiled and shrugged it off.

            “So, today, we’re going to take a closer look at the creature I have in this box.” After steadying himself and setting the trunk on the ground, he had everyone gather in front of it. “In the box, I have a Boggart. Can anyone tell me what a Boggart is?”

            “A boggart is a shape-shifter, taking the form of whatever a person fears the most.”

            “Very good, Miss Thomas. This is obviously what makes the Boggart so much of  danger to us. It can target our weaknesses, catch us off guard. So we need to know how to protect ourselves. Everyone, I’d like you to repeat after me. Reddikulus!”

            “Reddikulus,” the class chorused.

            “Excellent.” Professor Cowley clapped his hands together. “Now, I want you to think about the thing that scares you the most. Then, I want you to think about how you can make it funny; that’s the thing that will truly finish it off.” He waited a moment or two. “Have you all done that? Right, who wants to go first? Come on, everyone, wands out. Don’t be silly, lads!”

             Much to Emilia’s surprise, Alice and Faith pushed to the front of the class. The rest of the students backed away into a group at the back of the classroom, leaving the two girls stood a couple of metres away from the trunk. Professor Cowley waved his hands over the locks on the front of it and looked to Alice and Faith.

            “You ready?” he asked.

            They nodded, Faith tucking herself a little behind her friend, both with raised wands.

            Professor Cowley, gritting his teeth, heaved open the lid of the trunk and, for a moment, nothing happened. Emilia could almost feel the entire class leaning forward with baited breath, trying to get a look at what form the Boggart had taken. That was until a ginormous, and very familiar, claw curled itself over the rim of the trunk, and every single student drew back, some gasping.

            As the two girls in front of her shuddered and a second black claw appeared, Emilia raised her eyebrows, her eyes wide as an owls, and she turned to Annie, both of them supressing smirks.

            “Well,” Annie whispered, matter-of-factly. “I didn’t see _that_ coming.”

            “You’re laughing now,” Emilia replied. “But if they don’t do something soon, I’m going to climb out of that box and destroy the entire classroom!”

            “Redikulus,” Alice stammered, rather half-heartedly. The trunk shook slightly, and the dragon’s slipped into black ooze and slithered back inside. The two Slytherins tipped up their chins as though they had done quite a good job, and scuttles to the back of the classroom.

            Rolling her eyes, Annie swaggered forwards, twirling her wand between her fingers. Come to think of it, Emilia didn’t know what Annie was afraid of; she always seemed like that kind of person who wasn’t afraid of anything, not even death.

            Peering past Annie, Emilia spotted a long, hairy leg poking out of the open trunk. Three more identical legs soon followed. Annie shuffled back a little as a head of shiny, black eyes and clicking pincers appeared, and a bulbous body bobbed behind it. When the other four legs emerged, the great creature dropped to the ground, the body pulsing ominously.

            Annie clenched the fist of her left hand, raising the wand in the other. Her shoulders tensed, shoulder blades jerking outwards. After taking a deep breath, she pronounced the spell articulately. The spider winced a little bit, before four legs on either side of him were pulled together. A slip of gold wrapping appeared out of thin air and wrapped itself around the taut spider, so that it resemble a giant sweet. It wasn’t exactly funny, though some of the class tried to laugh, but it certainly wasn’t threatening anymore.

            Emilia brushed Annie’s arms as she, though still slightly shaking, tried to walk confidently to the back of the classroom. If the Boggart could make Annie falter, the thought of what it might do to _her_ made her shudder. But raising her wand, she stepped up to where the golden sweet was still floating. And waited.

            The Boggart jittered, swooping in and out of itself, unable to keep a stable state. In truth, this didn’t surprise her. Even _she_ wasn’t sure what she was most afraid of; disappointing her family, dying in the Tournament, being unable to control her powers and hurting someone she loved. She couldn’t focus her mind. The Boggart slowly formed itself into a black, cloaked figure, closely resembling that of a Dementor. Though Emilia had never seen one, nor did she fear them, she knew what it meant. She took a step backwards as the creature threatened to take all of her happiness away.

            That was until she remembered the pure, unyielding, unexplainable fear that she had felt every time her dreams took her to the empty train station platform. The Dementor glitched and wavered like a broken muggle computer. It jumped around a little in the air, before the creature threw up its arms to remove the hood and cloak, and there he was. The man from her nightmares, his feet landing smoothly on the wooden floor of the classroom. And he just stared at her. The strange thing was that she didn’t feel the same fear that she remembered, though she wasn’t completely unafraid.

            What happened next happened so quickly that, even after thinking it over a hundred times, Emilia still didn’t quite understand it. There was a good deal of scuffling behind her. Then somebody grabbed her wrist and pulled her backwards. Holding her behind his back, the boy raised his wand to the leering, unwavering figure of the man. And, in a voice far softer than Emilia could ever have expected, he said “Reddikulus.”

            The man’s smart attire rapidly puffed out into a frilled, pink ballgown which, much to his horror, came with a matching bonnet. The whole class erupted into laughter, though neither Emilia or the boy could bring themselves to do anything other than stare.

            Emilia didn’t need to do much more than look up at his mass of curly hair to know who it was, but to be sure, she stepped out to a get a look at his face. “James,” she frowned. “Are you alright?”

            He looked confused and petrified. Turning his head slowly to face her, his confusion amplified. Something seemed to come over him – Emilia couldn’t possibly imagine what – and his hand slipped from her wrist. The glazed expression unmoving and without another word, he went to collect his bag from the side of the classroom and made his way over to the door.

            The laughter had died down significantly as the Boggart man stumbled around, trying to take the bonnet off his head, and no one other than herself, Professor Cowley, and perhaps a couple of her friends had noticed James’ exit. Emilia stepped aside so that the next person could have a go. But as Will came forwards and the Boggart slammed onto the floor in a heap, the room fell deathly silent. Waves of black substance enveloped the pinkness and were replaced with Gryffindor robes. The Boggart shrunk, stopping when it was little more than a curled lump on the floor.

            Knowing full well what the Boggart had transformed into, Emilia moved a little closer to her brother, tugging on his sleeve. Will hadn’t drawn his wand, nor had he looked away from the crumpled figure. Out of the corner of her eye, Emilia saw that the rest of the class was edging forwards again, trying to figure out what it was.

            “Just say the spell,” she whispered to Will. “I’m right here and I’m fine. That’s not me. Just say it.”

            Will opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the Boggart began to shake. The young Gryffindor student uncurled itself slightly, the face revealed for all the see. Emilia couldn’t look at it; to see what others saw when she was crippled in pain. She closed her eyes and looked away.

            The Boggart let out an ear-piercing scream. A few people gasped, and Emilia, with eyes still clamped shut, reached up to cover her ears. Her insides turned over and she felt sick. But when Will still didn’t speak, she knew she couldn’t just stand there and do nothing.

            Opening her eyes, she forced her stare directly upon the face of the Boggart. She didn’t reach for her wand, instead took two strides forwards, bent down and grabbed a handful of hair. Wrenching her still-screaming clone to its feet, dragged it across the floor and threw it back into the box. Emilia slammed the lid closed and turned to look at Will.

            “See? She’s not real. Move on.” And she strode to the back of the classroom, Will in tow.

*

“Trust you to half kill yourself on the Quidditch pitch, but be afraid of something like spiders,” Eve giggled as they left the classroom at the end of the lesson.

            “Shut up!” Annie couldn’t hide a sheepish smile. “Though speaking of killing myself, psycho over here,” she laughed, jerking her thumb at Emilia.

            “Oh yeah, that was actually insane. I wonder why it didn’t change when you touched it.”

            “I think it’s because I’m afraid of a lot of things, and that just so happened to be one of them.” Emilia did try and sound nonchalant about the whole thing, but she really was rather proud of herself, especially considering she hadn’t felt an inkling of the stirring rage during the entire class.

            “I was a little scared myself when your dragon starting coming of that box. It certainly wouldn’t have fit inside the classroom,” Natalie said.

            “Practical lessons are so exhausting. I’m starving,” Eve whined as they clambered down the staircases towards the Great Hall.

            “Emilia! Emilia!” A voice echoed through the bustling tower. The girls turned to see Fred Weasley pushing past students, a panic-stricken expression choking his usually-grinning face. “Emilia!” he heaved again.

            “What is it?”

            “It’s your brother.” Fred slowed to a stop in front of her. “He’s had some kind of fit at James. He was waiting for us outside of the classroom and a minute later, Will just started yelling at him. And then he had some sort of attack.”

            “A panic attack?” Emilia looked at him in alarm.

            “I think so. James had to take him to the Hospital Wing.”

            “Alright, I’ll come now.”

            “Do you want us to come with you?” Annie asked.

            “No, really it’s okay.”

            “Are you sure?”

            “I’ll be fine. Save some food for me, okay?” Emilia tried to smile, though her heart was racing. Never, not even on those she hated the most, would she ever wish a panic attack upon anyone. Will probably had no idea was what going on. And the fact that he was with James would have been enough to drive _her_ over the edge, if she hadn’t been able to remember James’ terrified look from the class before.

            Emilia swallowed hard, nodding at Fred. “Let’s go.”


	18. Truce

“How’s Will?” Fred asked as he and Emilia arrived at the Hospital Wing.

              James, who was standing just outside the entrance, looked worried. “Madame Bones has got him.”

              “What the hell happened?” Emilia tried not to shout at him.

              “I stayed to watch Will,” James muttered.

              “And?” she snapped.

              “I didn’t realize just how afraid he was of you being upset again.”

              “That’s because you can’t see past the end of your nose.” Emilia huffed, rubbing one of her temples. “I swear, we’ve just had this conversation. Now get out of my way; I want to see my brother.”

              “Madame Bones gave him something,” James called as she pushed past him into the hospital wing. “He’s asleep.”

              Ignoring James, Emilia hurried over to the bed where Will had been laid down. There was no one else into the hospital wing, so Emilia saw no problem in calling out loudly as Madame Bones emerged from her office. “What did you give him? Is he unconscious?”

              Madame Bones approached Will’s bed with a glass of water. “No, I just gave him something to calm his nerves.”

              Emilia could see that his eyes were still open, if only a little. Slipping her hand into his, she spoke with such determination that Fred, who had been standing behind her, took a step back.

              “Nothing,” she said, “nothing is going to happen to me. I will never go back to the way I was, not even if hell threatens to drag me down, I won’t go. Do you understand me?”

              “Emilia, I-”

              “You,” Emilia started, letting go of Will and turned to James, her face like thunder. “You have done quite enough.” She looked back at Fred. “Stay with him.”

              James didn’t move as she advanced on him. He didn’t look startled at her outburst, only worried, glancing over her shoulder to where Will lay still. It was only when she stopped a foot away from him that he acknowledged her again.

              He looked down at her, letting out a short breath from his nose, like a laugh, but there was no humour in it. “What? You don’t actually believe that this,” he threw out his arm at the bed, “was all my fault.”

              “Of course it’s your fault!”

              “How is this my fault?!”

              “It just is. If you hadn’t been such a bitch to me, my mind wouldn’t have gone to shit, and no one would have to worry about me!”

              “You’re blaming me for everything that happened you?”

              “Are you saying that you weren’t involved at all?”

              “That’s not what I said. Stop twisting my words!”

              “So, you admit it?”

              James blew up, his face reddening. “What do you want me to do apologise? Will that make it all go away? Will that make it as if it never happened?”

              “This isn’t about me; this is about Will!” Something in her chest stirred.

              “Really? Because everything you’ve just said seems to have quite a lot to do with you. And you think I’m selfish!”

              Emilia was about ready to scream, to let the continuing instability inside her out and crush James under her feet. But she knew she couldn’t let that happen again. She didn’t know who else she might hurt if she lost control of herself.

              “I don’t care if it makes me the biggest bitch in the entire school,” she glowered darkly. “I won’t hesitate to hit you again. I want you to tell me _exactly_ what happened after you left that classroom.”

              “Nothing! We left the classroom, Will was really quiet, so I asked if he was okay and he just looked at me. He was pale and then he started shaking, what do you want me to say? Do you want me to say that I threatened him? Do you want me to say that I told him that if he didn’t stop talking to you, I would make sure you’d never see the light of day again? Is that what you want?” James spat, towering over her. “Is it?”

              “No, I-”

              “I’m not like that!” James brought up his right hand, looking as though he was going to grab her by the shirt and tie, and he might have done if she had been a boy, or if she hadn’t been his best friend’s sister. Instead, he clenched his fist, not lowering it, and glared down into her eyes. “You can say whatever you like about me; you can tell me that you think I’m up my own arse, you can scream for all you’re worth about how I don’t deserve all the treatment I get just because I’m Harry Potter’s son, and you can call me a monster a thousand times. That won’t change the fact that I would never ever do anything to hurt your brother.”

              For a moment, Emilia thought she saw the James that everyone else seemed to see. Every time her father had told her the story of Harry defeating Voldemort, she could never really imagine what the final battle had looked like. Now, as she stared up into James’ eyes, brown though they were, she could see a look of such fury and determination that she somehow knew this was the very same look his father must have had when he defeated the darkest wizard of his time. For a moment, Emilia could almost have admired James’ fierce loyalty if she hadn’t still been trying to swallow the dragon.

              “Guys…” a voice called softly from behind them.

              Emilia, who had succeeded in confusing herself, whipped around so furiously that her ponytail caught James’ cheek.

              Fred had his jaw clenched, giving them both a ‘pack-it-in’ glare, and next to him, Will was leaning up on his elbows, paler than Emilia had ever seen him, a look of horror on his face. But before she could run forwards to comfort him, tell him that the ‘conversation’ she had been having with James was nothing, James took hold of her wrist and dragged her away behind one of the hospital screens on the other side of the room.

              “Can you not grab me?” she snapped when they came to a stop, snatching her hand back.

              “You need to calm down, Emilia.”

              “Don’t you _ever_ tell me to calm down!”

              “You don’t want to go all dragon in the Hospital Wing with your brother here?”

              Emilia bit back her next retort, frowning harshly. “How could you possibly-”

              “I was there the first time. I saw you. I have something I want to ask of you, but I need you to be civil.”

              Feeling suddenly bashful, and refusing to acknowledge that James Potter, of all people, was acting in a more mature manner than she was, Emilia pierced her lips and waited for him do continue.

              “We can’t keep arguing with each other. We can’t even ignore each other the way we do. It’s not good for Will.”

              “So what should we do? Pretend to be friends?”

              “Yes.”

              Emilia had only been joking. She didn’t expect James to agree. “What?” she clipped.

              “You can’t deny that we’re pretty much the two most important people to Will.” Emilia raised an eyebrow at James’ assumption but didn’t say a word against it. “Don’t you think it would be best if we could at least pretend to get along?”

              “After the tiff we just had in front of him? And how do you propose we do that?”

              “Well…you could say that you yelled at me because you were upset about Will suffering a panic attack. You could say that you are grateful to me for saving you from that Boggart, and you wanted to make up to me.”

              “I will do no such thing! Why should I be the one to sacrifice my pride? And besides, why wouldn’t I be able to defeat some guy when I can throw myself into a trunk?”

              “Alright, fine,” James huffed. “We’ll say that you and I have been getting to know each other better, and that I only saved you from the Boggart on instinct because you’re my friend. He’ll easily forget us shouting at each other because his attack was unexpected.”

              Emilia wasn’t anywhere near close to trusting James, not even a little. The thought of him knowing her feelings reminding her of how he had been able to hurt her in the past. However, though she didn’t want to admit it, this was a better idea than any she could have come up with. If she was honest with herself, the plan didn’t sound so bad. If James was willing to make an effort then so was she. Emilia had never seen him so serious, so loyal to anyone. She thought of all the times she had been told of Will’s loyalty to them, how many times he had stopped them from doing something that would have gotten them expelled. Perhaps, on this one occasion, she should have a little faith. For Will’s sake.

              “You…seem,” Emilia thought of choosing her words more carefully, but dismissed the idea immediately after glancing up into James’ unnervingly serious eyes. “You seem to care about my brother a lot more than I thought you were capable of caring about _anything_ other than yourself and your reputation.”

              “Thanks,” James huffed again.

              “Will asked you and Fred to try and be nice to me, though I wished he hadn’t at the time. You haven’t done a brilliant job so far, but I am very grateful to Fred. Even if it wasn’t for the whole dragon thing, I think the rest of your lot would have backed off when they saw Fred trying to make amends. Will did that for my sake so…” she nodded once, her lip piercing for a moment, “I will do this, for his sake. And as long as you make the effort too.”

              “I will,” said James, a little defensively.

              Emilia bit her lip. “Alright then.”

              “Are you calm?”

              “Yes,” she rolled her eyes. “But I do have one question.”

              “What?”

              “Why _did_ you jump between me and the Boggart earlier? It couldn’t have hurt me. Do you who that man is? Is he dangerous?”

              For the second time that day, James refused to look her in the eyes, even in the firing line of all her questions. She would have preferred him to glare at her.

              “You don’t know who he is?” he asked, after a moment or two’s silence.

              “No, do you?”

              James paused again. “No.” But Emilia knew he was lying.

              Will was discharged from the Hospital Wing about half an hour later, still looking a little peaky, but said he felt well enough. He had listened to James and Emilia’s story and, Emilia wasn’t sure whether it was his strained mind or than he actually believed them, but he was very content, even pleased, by their tale.

              “Honestly, we Longbottoms have no luck,” Will sighed exasperatedly as they walked down to the Great Hall in the hopes of getting something to eat.

              “I think you’re very lucky.” Will looked at Fred, confused. “Your best friend and your sister arguing over who gets to care about you the most! God, I wish my big sister would fight with someone over me. I could fall off a cliff and Roxanne wouldn’t bat an eyelid.”

              Emilia glanced at James, only to find him already looking at her. They both quickly turned away and stared forward at the heads of the two boys in front of them.

* 

“You what?” said Eve, startled.

              “James and I have agreed to play nicely.”

              Annie cackled. “Oh, forget the Tournament; _this_ is the most entertaining thing that’ll happen this year.”

              “I don’t even know what I signed myself up for. I don’t really know James all that well.” Emilia shook her head as they came to the portrait of the Fat Lady. After giving the password, the four girls clambered through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor Common Room, only to find everyone huddled around the notice board on the far wall.

              “What going on?” Eve asked, hurrying over to the group.

              People begun to part, chattering excitedly, revealing what they had been reading. In the centre of the board was a large silver poster, shimmering with pale blue ribbons and stars. At the top danced the words ‘Yule Ball’, from which snowflakes floated down the page. It was to be held on the evening of Christmas Day, and all from fifth year and above were invited.

              “Look at this,” Natalie, being the fastest reader of them, pointed at a note at the bottom of the poster. “‘Contributions from the three Champions will be enjoyed during the course of the evening,’” she read aloud.

              “It’s the first I’ve heard of this,” Emilia sighed. “I suppose I have to prepare something for the evening.”

              “Can’t catch a break, can you?” Annie laughed.

              “No, it appears not.”


	19. Preparations

On the first Saturday of December, the Gryffindor students from fourth year and upwards made their way down to the Great Hall to meet Professor Longbottom. The tables had all been pushed to the sides of the Hall, the torches were burning brightly and there was a large gramophone on a small table on the teachers’ dais. All of the girls were directed to sit on one side of the Hall, and the boys to the other side.

              “As you know, the Yule Ball is coming up, and some of you may be disappointed to hear that this isn’t like a Muggle disco. It is a evening of civilized entertainment, and we recommend that you take this opportunity to get to know the students from other schools. You might not get this opportunity again.”

              “Does this mean we have to touch the mans?” Eve whispered in Emilia’s ear.

              “That’s exactly what it means,” Emilia sniggered.

              “You’re just saying that because the guy you like isn’t in Gryffindor!” Annie’s eyes flashed with mischief.

              The rest of the students had broken out into chatter, glancing across the Hall at the opposite sex, some nervously, others eager.   

              “Alright everyone, settle down.” Neville huffed slightly. “The reason I have brought you all here is so that you can learn how to dance properly for the Ball. And I am assuming, Mr Weasley, that you already know how to do so since you insist on talking over me. Would you like to come out here and give us all a demonstration?”

              Fred looked mortified. He sat bolt upright, clearly having heard nothing the professor had said before ‘Mr Weasley’. But at Professor Longbottom’s expectant stare, he tilted his chin up, got to his feet and tread quite defiantly into the centre of the Hall. His courage was admirable but that wasn’t going to detract from the fact that he had no idea what he was doing.

              “Do you want me to dance with you, Professor?” Fred muttered. Several people, including Emilia, pierced their lips furiously to keep from laughing. Even Neville looked as though he wanted to, a flicker of a smile crossing his lips.

              “Why don’t you pick a partner and you can do the demonstration together?”

              The heads of the girls dropped simultaneously, no one wanting to be the first one to try their foot at a waltz. Fred’s eyes moved over the female company, less in worry that no one wanted to dance with him and more with a malicious glee at the prospect of dragging someone down with him.

              “Emilia? Do you fancy it?”

              “No, not really,” she replied, hiding none of her frustration.

              “You were a musical child, Emilia. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

              Her father’s words were of no comfort as she received smirks from her friends. Standing up, fists clenched, Emilia stalked over to Fred, a storm in her eyes. “I’m going to stamp on your feet,” she glowered softly, so only Fred could hear, as her father clasped his hands together.

              “Alright, so men, you’ll want to place a hand on your partner’s waist, and clasp their hand with the other,” Neville explained, manipulating Emilia and Fred’s limbs like they were dummies. “Ladies, gently place your hand on the upper arm of the hand on your waist.”

              Emilia rolled her eyes, unable to look at Fred, at the young men sitting at the edge of the Hall behind him, nor think about to looks on her friends’ faces. Neville waved his wand in the direction of the gramophone and music began to play. Surely this couldn’t be any worse than the First Task of the Tournament.

*****

“Well that was torture. My neck is killing me!” James moaned as the Gryffindors exited the Great Hall.

              The students scattered, towards the Common Room, the library, anywhere that wasn’t outside. It had begun to snow that morning, but the snow had turn to sleet and a blistering cold had found its way into the castle corridors from the courtyards.

              “Emilia, you were pretty good,” said Natalie. “Have you danced before?”

              “No, not really. I have seen stuff and used to be really into music when I was younger. I guess I retained something.” Emilia tried to shrug it off, but in truth she had quite enjoyed the session.

              “That’s probably why Fred managed not to fall on his face,” James laughed.

              The six of them made their way up to the portrait of the Fat Lady and were just about to go through when Emilia changed her mind. She told her friends to go ahead and that she would join them later. She had remembered what the poster had said about the Champions contributing to the Yule Ball and was about to go back downstairs to speak with her father about it when she thought of something else, and hurried up the staircases before they could change.

              The seventh floor was deserted. With to wind howling beating against the windows, Emilia felt cold, shivering even as the touches lit up as she passed. At the end of the main corridor she stopped, staring at the wall in front of her. If she knew what she wanted, this would have been easy, but only knowing that she required _something_ , not anything in particular, made it harder. It mightn’t have even worked at all.

              Emilia paced up and down the wall three times, trying desperately to think of something she could do, something that she was good at. But it seemed there was a fair bit of self-belief that she still needed to get back.

              After pacing back and forth for several minutes, it came to her. She wasn’t sure if she still remembered how to do it, but perhaps it was a bit like riding a broom; you never really forget.

              Sure enough, black shapes began to curl themselves up the wall to reveal a door. Before she could touch it, the door creaked open a little into the Room. Pushing it further and stepping inside, Emilia found herself in a vast empty room, save for a shining white grand piano in the centre. There were no windows but three chandeliers hung in a line from high ceiling, their light reflecting off the marble floor.

              Emilia’s footfalls echoed as she walked slowly over to the piano. She hadn’t played properly since before her first year at Hogwarts. Many times she had sat down to the one in her house over the years, hoping that something would come to her, hoping it would make her feel better the way it always used to. But like most things, it had fallen through.

              There was a folder on the music stand. Inside were sleeves full of sheet music for the songs she used to love playing. Pulling out the music for one Muggle song that used to be her favourite song when she was about ten. Emilia placed the folder under the stood, sat down and lifted the fallboard.

              As expected it didn’t all come back to her straight away. Emilia felt little pangs of anxiety the first few times she attempted to play, but once she had made her way successfully through the first line of the stave, things became easier. She took her time getting used to the pedals again and, even though it took her almost twenty five minutes to make it all the way through the first piece without making any mistakes, Emilia didn’t once think of giving up. She had let herself forget how much she loved music and how much she loved playing.

              But it was one thing to play alone in the safety of your own home or in the Room of Requirement. It was quite another to play at a ball, in front of her fellow students and students from other schools. This might have deterred her had she not gotten through the First Task already, but she had, and playing piano was hardly a chore. If she practiced hard enough, she was confident her contribution would be appreciated.

*****

“This is all bullshit!” James dropped his quill and slumped back in his seat.

              “And that’s why I didn’t take Divination.” James pulled a face at Emilia, but she wasn’t looking.

              Annie, James, Emilia, Kieran, and Natalie sat at a table next to the window in the Gryffindor Common Room. The surface was covered entirely by open textbooks and pieces of parchment.

              “I don’t know what the professor was thinking,” Kieran groaned. “I legit cannot do this.”

              “Then you shouldn’t have left it until the night before it’s due in,” Natalie quipped, clearly struggling to concentrate on her own work. “Emilia, are you done with that book?”

              “Hey, Fred, have you done the Divination essay yet,” asked James.

              Fred stood, looking a little less hyped than usual, at the end of the table. “Yeah, a couple of days ago.”

              “Help please!”

              “Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to Emilia first?”

              “Sure, what’s up?”

              “In private.”

              Annie nudged Emilia’s leg under the table and wiggled her eyebrows when she looked at her. Rolling her eyes, Emilia smiled up at Fred and slid out the end of the booth. Fred led her over to an empty sofa by the fire and gestured for her to sit down.

              “What’s up,” she said again.

              “I was just thinking,” Fred sat down next to her. “You aren’t going to the Yule Ball with anyone yet, are you?”

              Emilia hadn’t even given it any thought. She would have happily gone to the Ball with her friends and wouldn’t think anything of it. But then she remember that the opening dance was performed by the Champions and their partners. If she didn’t have one, that could be embarrassing. “Not yet, no.”

              “Alright, well, I was just wondering if you might like to go with me?”

              Emilia laughed lightly. “Really Fred, it’s alright. I know at the start of the year, things were tough for me, and I really appreciate the effort you made for Will’s sake. But I’m great now, and we’re real friends now, aren’t we?”

              “Yeah, but-”

              “You don’t have to go to all this trouble. Honestly, Fred, I’m okay.”

              “Okay, listen,” Fred started, diplomatically, sitting up straight. “I’m not asking you to the Ball because of Will. As soon as I got to know you, I didn’t have to try to like you. I’m asking you because you’re my friend and I want you to enjoy yourself at the Ball. You deserve that much. I don’t want you off with someone who you don’t really know just in case it doesn’t work out. I’m also asking you because you’re the Triwizard Champion, and you deserve to go to the Ball with the most handsome man in the school,” he smirked. “Plus, I’m the nicest of my brother’s friend, and I’m also taller than him, so I’m thinking he won’t have any objections.”

              Emilia laughed again. “Well, you make a convincing argument, sir,” she put on an incredibly posh accent. “I suppose I have no objections myself. I would be honoured to attend the Ball with such a fine gentlemen.”

              “Awesome.”

              “And we’ve already dance together, so I know how bad you are.”

              Fred laughed. “’Twas fate.”

              The two of the went back to the table, where it seemed Natalie had had enough of the boys’ moaning and had gone to study in the dorm room, Annie having gone with her. Rolling her eyes at the looks that passed between Fred and the other two boys, Emilia picked up her things and bid them all goodnight.

              Natalie had parchment falling off her bed when Emilia walked in. She looked up suddenly from her work and said curiously, “What did Fred want?”

              “He just asked me to go to the Ball with him,” Emilia replied nonchalantly.

              “What!” Eve sat up quickly, having been lying under the covers of her bed.

              “As friend, of course.”

              “Urgh, that’s so not fair! I bet you if I’d been Triwizard Champion, I would already have a partner,” Eve pouted.

              “Relax, it’ll be fine. Just go ask someone you like.” Annie flopped back on her pillow.

              “Ask them?!”

              “Yes, _ask them_. What are you so afraid of?”

              “That they’ll say no.”

              “Oh, so only the boys are allowed to deal with rejection?”

              “That’s not what I meant! I just…he’ll say no…”

              “Who?” Annie beamed.

              “Lorcan Scamander.”

              “Emilia!” Eve shrieked. “Why would you tell her? You know how she gets!”

              “And why would he say no?” Annie slid off her bed and slunk over to Eve’s, looking scarily like a Cheshire cat.

              “I don’t know…Maybe he thinks I’m too dumb for him? I can’t help it though. When he’s around, my brain just stops working! It’s the most useless thing!” Eve hit her forehead several times with the heel of her hand.

              “Don’t say things like that! He might find it endearing.”

              “Natalie, you’re being awfully quiet,” Emilia said, narrowing her eyes.

              Natalie didn’t look back up from her essay. “I’m concentrating.”

              “It’s because she fancies Fred and she’s jealous that he asked you.”

              “I do not!” Natalie cried, but her treacherous cheeks glowed a dark rose. It didn’t take more than three sets of raised eyebrows for her to drop her quill and cover her eyes. “Annie, how could you possibly know that?”

              “I see the way you look at him, the way you scold him in class more than you scold the other boys, always threatening to take points away from him. It’s like a high school anime!”

              “Okay, well, just don’t tell anyone, _especially_ his friends.”

              “Don’t worry, you’re secret is safe with us.” Emilia crouched down and felt around under her bed for her box of spare parchment. “And hey, I’ll even make sure you have a dance with him! Hang on,” Emilia frowned when she felt a large box under her bed, a ribbon wrapped around it. “What’s this?”

              Lifting it onto the bed, she saw it was the birthday gift from her parents that she had been instructed not to open until December. Emilia untied the ribbon and gently pulled off the lid. Inside was a ruby red dress, folded neatly. When she pulled it out, the layers of fabric unfolded and flowed out into a large skirt. The top was a very simple strapless, sweetheart neckline, with a corseted back.

              “Bloody hell, Emilia!” Annie bounded over. “Is that your  Yule Ball dress?”

              “Apparently so. I hadn’t even though about it, I’ve been so busy with other things.” Grabbing a hanger from her wardrobe, she hung it on one of the doors, running her fingers over the fabric of the skirts. Emilia smiled; she had never imagined herself wearing something so beautiful in all her life. She couldn’t take her eyes off it.

              “Do you have shoes to with it?” Eve asked.

              Looking back at the box, Emilia saw something else wrapped up in white tissue paper at the bottom of the box. They were a pair of heels, the same colour as the dress, with gold buckles. “Looks like my parents thought of everything.”

              “My mum is sending my dress soon. She wouldn’t let me bring it at the start of the year because she thought I might ruin it,” Annie pout.

              “Same here,” said Eve.

              “Mine has been in the back of my wardrobe since we got here. I completely forgot about it.” Natalie got up off the bed and came over to inspect Emilia’s dress with the others.

              Eve arched her neck at her awkwardly. “And when were you going to mention this?”

              “When it became relevant.”

              “Well, that’s it then, isn’t it?” Everyone looked at Annie. “This weekend, Hogsmead, accessory shopping!”


End file.
